ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Telephone Tapping

Tom Watson: To ask the Attorney-General 
	(1)  what discussions he has had with the Director of Public Prosecutions on telephone hacking and blagging since his appointment;
	(2)  if he will place in the Library a copy of the minutes of his recent meeting with the Director of Public Prosecutions on telephone hacking and blagging.

Dominic Grieve: I regularly meet with the Director of Public Prosecutions to discuss a variety of issues in my statutory role of superintendence of the CPS. It is not the practice of the AGO to disclose details of such meetings as was the case with previous Administrations.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Tuition Fees

Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effects on higher education participation among the poorest students of increases in tuition fees.

David Willetts: There are more students participating in HE than ever before, with record numbers from all backgrounds. This indicates that students are not deterred from participation, providing that there is a suitable offer of financial support in place to help those who need it.
	The coalition agreement makes it clear that increasing social mobility and attracting more students from disadvantaged backgrounds are key criteria for our response to Lord Browne's recommendations on Higher Education Funding and Student Finance.

Anti-counterfeiting Trade Agreement

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the potential effect on individuals of the implementation of the draft Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement.

Edward Davey: The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) does not intend to create new intellectual property rights, laws or criminal offences in the UK or EU. As such, the implementation of ACTA should not directly impact individuals in the UK.

Business: Co-ownership

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many officials in his Department and its agencies have had training with an objective to develop knowledge of co-ownership structures.

Mark Prisk: Decisions are made locally on individuals' developmental needs and this information is not held centrally. This could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	I have approached the chief executives of the Insolvency Service, Companies House, the National Measurement Office, the Intellectual Property Office and the Skills Funding Agency and they will respond to the hon. Member directly.
	 Letter from Gareth Jones, dated 14 October 2010:
	I am replying on behalf of Companies House to your Parliamentary Question tabled 8 October 2010, UIN 17243 to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	No officials in Companies House have had training with an objective to develop knowledge of co-ownership structures.
	 Letter from Geoff Russell, dated 12 October 2010:
	I am replying on behalf of the Skills Funding Agency to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 08 October 2010 (UIN 17243), to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills; how many officials in his Department and its agencies have had training with an objective to develop knowledge of co-ownership structures.
	The Skills Funding Agency has given no training with an objective to develop knowledge of co-ownership structures.
	 Letter from John Alty, dated 13 October 2010:
	I am responding in respect of the Intellectual Property Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled 08/10/10, to the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	The Intellectual Property Office has given no training with an objective to develop knowledge of co-ownership structures.
	 Letter from Stephen Speed, dated 12 October 2010:
	The Secretary of State for Business Innovation and Skills has asked me to reply to your question how many officials in his Department and its agencies have had training with an objective to develop knowledge of co-ownership structures.
	The Insolvency Service Executive Agency of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills have had no staff who have had training with an objective to develop knowledge of co-ownership structures.
	 Letter from Peter Mason, dated 12 October 2010:
	I am responding in respect of the National Measurement Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 8th October to the Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, asking how many officials have had training with an objective to develop knowledge of co-ownership structures.
	To date, no members of NMO staff have had training specifically linked to developing knowledge of co-ownership structures.

Business: Government Assistance

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he has taken to reduce the administrative requirements on applicants of the enterprise finance guarantee scheme; and what steps he plans to take to improve the availability of seed capital for start-up businesses.

Mark Prisk: The time taken to process an application for an EFG backed loan is mainly determined by the internal processes of the lender concerned. There are relatively few additional administrative requirements for EFG compared with a normal loan. These primarily relate to ensuring EFG is used appropriately and that the relevant EU regulations on state aid are adhered to. Lenders have access to a web portal to determine EFG eligibility and approval of the loan guarantee. Overall, lenders confirm that an EFG loan application only takes two to three days longer than it might take to process a commercial loan.
	Nonetheless, as speed and certainty is important for EFG lending decisions, this Department has worked with each of the main lenders, who account for over 97% of the SME lending market, to introduce a processing target of 20 working days for all major lenders participating in the EFG to provide certainty for businesses on how long their applications will take to process.
	Seed capital in the form of equity is vital for start-up businesses where debt finance may not be the most appropriate form of finance and equity may be a more realistic proposition. Early stage venture capital is available for businesses with high growth potential and this Department provides a range of publicly supported funds to provide early stage finance, focused on the 'equity gap'.
	The BIS Enterprise Capital Fund programme currently comprises nine venture capital funds with a Government commitment of more than £156 million for these funds. The emergency Budget announced an additional Enterprise Capital Fund of up to £37.5 million. Details can be found at the Capital for Enterprise Ltd website:
	www.capitalforenterprise.gov.uk
	These venture capital funds are suitable for high growth potential investments. These funds are complemented by a range of regionally commissioned funds including regional SME Venture Capital Loan Funds totalling around £550 million of commitments up to 2013. There are around 25 to 30 regional equity and loan funds currently (or imminently) active supporting seed, early stage and growth capital for SMEs, all underpinned by objectives to enhance regional business and economic performance along with broader social and regeneration outputs attached to European Reconstruction and Development Fund funding.

Business: Loans

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent representations he has received on access to finance for small businesses.

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent representations he has received on access to finance for small businesses.

Mark Prisk: The Government believe that improving access to finance is vital for small businesses. In response to our formal consultation on access to credit we received more than 170 representations and we will be responding shortly. In addition, the British Bankers Association yesterday published their taskforce report on business lending.
	The report has 17 recommendations and the Government welcome the progress made by the taskforce.

Community Interest Companies

Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many community interest companies were started in  (a) Warwick and Leamington constituency,  (b) Warwickshire,  (c) the West Midlands and  (d) England in each of the last five years.

Edward Davey: The number of Community Interest Companies (CICs) that were started in  (a) Warwick and Leamington constituency,  (b) Warwickshire,  (c) the West Midlands and  (d) England in each of the last five years are as follows:
	
		
			   2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			 Warwick and Leamington 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Warwickshire 1 2 5 3 5 
			 West Midlands 13 26 54 86 112 
			 England 191 602 746 1,046 1,177 
		
	
	This statistical information is estimated using post code data provided in the current registered office addresses of CICs on the public register of companies.

Defence Equipment: Exports

John Glen: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment his Department has made of the security risks associated with the granting of open general export licenses for military goods.

Mark Prisk: Open general export licences (OGELs) have been a key part of the UK's export controls for many years. They permit the export of less sensitive items to less sensitive destinations and as such they allow the Government to maintain a robust licensing regime while minimising administrative burdens for legitimate and low risk exports. These risks are managed through careful definition of the goods and destinations; by the terms and conditions applied to each OGEL including, in some cases, prior approval of the export by the MOD; and by a comprehensive programme of on-site compliance audits. All OGELs are kept under review and they can be amended or withdrawn at any time.

Departmental Manpower

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many  (a) civil servants and  (b) external advisers are working on the Browne review of higher education funding.

David Willetts: The review was supported by seven full-time civil servants seconded from the Government for the duration of the review. No external advisers have been employed by the review, although it has drawn on advice from a wide range of experts throughout its process, through events such as public hearings and calls for evidence.

Departmental Secondment

Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether any officials working in his Department are on secondment from companies or organisations in the banking sector.

Edward Davey: As at 11 October the Department's record show that BIS currently has 27 secondees.
	The Department does not record centrally the sectors from which secondees originate.

Export Credit Guarantees: Trinidad and Tobago

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether the Export Credits Guarantee Department has received an application in respect of the sale of offshore patrol vessels to Trinidad and Tobago; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Davey: ECGD has no such current application.
	As reported in its annual review for 2007/08, ECGD did provide support that year for a contract awarded to VT Shipbuilding International Ltd for the supply of three offshore patrol vessels to the Ministry of National Security in Trinidad and Tobago.

Further Education: Finance

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 21 June 2010,  Official Report, columns 1-2WS, on further education investment, whether previous investment in capital programmes by further education colleges will be taken into account when allocating capital funding through the enhanced renewal grant.

John Hayes: In written ministerial statements on 8 September and 13 October, I informed the House that, after a robust and transparent assessment process, 154 colleges will receive up to £225,000 through a renewal grant of which 21 colleges will receive up to £1 million through an enhanced renewal grant.
	Only those colleges that had received less than £5 million in LSC grant since 2001 were eligible to be considered for a grant under these schemes. Previous investment by the colleges, other than LSC funding, was not taken into account. Applications to the enhanced renewal grant were assessed against the existing condition of the college estate and its facilities; proposed benefits to learners; and how the projects would contribute to the regeneration of their local communities.

Higher Education and Student Finance  Independent Review

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the cost to the public purse was of the Independent Review of Higher Educational Funding and Student Finance.

David Willetts: The review is yet to finalise its costs precisely, but we estimate that these will be around £120,000 in general administration and programme expenditure during the 11 months of its work, including the costs of research. There was also the cost of providing seven full-time staff who supported the review panel and who were seconded from the Government.

Higher Education: Overseas Students

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many international students graduated from English higher education institutions and remained in the UK for  (a) employment and  (b) further study in the latest period for which figures are available.

David Willetts: Information on the destinations of graduates six months after leaving is collected by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) via the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) survey. Information is only collected for UK domiciled and other EU graduates. Not all graduates respond to the survey so there is a number whose circumstances after leaving are unknown.
	The Home Office recently published a research report entitled "The Migrant Journey". This research tracked the behaviour of the cohort of students (185,600) entering the UK in 2004. At the end of 2009 approximately 7% (12,990) had been granted leave to remain in the UK to work and approximately 6% (11,140) were still studying.
	The information for other EU graduates is in the following table.
	
		
			  Destinations of non-UK EU domiciled full-time first degree graduates from English HEIs remaining in the UK six months after graduation in 2008/09 
			  Destination  Number of graduates  Percentage of respondents 
			 UK employment only 1,425 19.6 
			 Combination of work and study in UK 360 4.9 
			 UK further study only 2,185 29.6 
			 Total in UK employment or study 3,970 53.9 
			 Other 3,395 46.1 
			 Total DLHE respondents 7,365 100.0 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest five. 2. Employment location is taken from the question which asks which town or city respondents are working in. 3. Some graduates enter a combination of work and study and are listed in a separate row. Their location is based on their employment location. 4. Study location is taking from the institution providing further study. 5. 'Other' includes those who are in different categories in the DLHE survey, which includes work or further study (or a combination) outside of the UK, assumed to be unemployed, not available for employment or the 'other' category. 6. In 2008/09 there were 12,660 full-time first degree graduates from English HEIs who came from non-UK EU countries who were eligible to answer DLHE. 7,365 of these responded (58.2%).  Source: Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education survey (DLHE), produced by HESA.

Higher Education: Per Capita Costs

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what his most recent estimate is of the average annual cost to the public purse of a university place;
	(2)  what his most recent estimate is of the annual cost to the public purse of a place in higher education for an  (a) engineering and  (b) medical student.

David Willetts: There is no published estimate of the overall average annual cost to the public purse of a university place due to differences in the definitions of which students are eligible for teaching grant and student support. However, estimates of expenditure per receiving student per year for each of these components are available separately:
	 Teaching expenditure
	In academic year 2008/09 the average teaching grant expenditure per FTE funded student (both undergraduate and postgraduate) at institutions in England was around £4,200 per year. This grant is distributed to institutions by the Higher Education Funding Council for England according to the subject as well as a number of other criteria; the notional grants for each subject group are as follows:
	
		
			  Price group  Description  Notional 2008/09 HEFCE undergraduate grant rate (£) 
			 A The clinical stages of medicine and dentistry courses and veterinary science 14,600 
			 B Laboratory-based subjects (science, preclinical stages of medicine and dentistry, engineering and technology) 5,500 
			 C Subjects with a studio, laboratory or fieldwork element 3,900 
			 D All other subjects 2,700 
		
	
	 Student support expenditure
	In 2008/09 around 870,000 England-domiciled students at institutions in the UK were awarded student support in the form of grants and/or loans. In total £1.257 billion was received in grants at an average of £1,400 per student awarded student support. Maintenance and fee loans for these students totalled £4.698 billion, which would have an average budgetary cost(1) per student awarded student support of around £1,500. Robust student support data is not available at subject level.
	(1) The budgetary cost represents the future cost to government of subsidising and writing off the loans issued.

Higher Education: Primary Education

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what funding his Department provides to promote engagement between universities and primary schools in  (a) deprived communities and  (b) other areas.

David Willetts: Higher education institutions work with schools in many ways to help prepare young learners for higher education and many use their own funds to establish links with primary schools. The Department does not provide specific funds to promote engagement between universities and primary schools but many Aimhigher partnerships work with primary schools in disadvantaged areas to raise awareness about higher education.
	In April this year, the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) concluded a project with 11 Aimhigher partnerships outlining their work in brokering links between primary schools and higher education institutions. In addition, HEFCE transferred £30 million in 2009-10 from within the overall funding for teaching to help strengthen links between universities and schools.

Higher Education: Young People

Ian Swales: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many young people normally resident in Redcar constituency entered  (a) higher education and  (b) university in each of the last 13 years.

David Willetts: The numbers of young (aged under 21) undergraduate entrants from Redcar constituency to UK higher education institutions (universities and higher education colleges) are shown in the table.
	Figures are taken from the Higher Education Statistics Agency Student Record and are provided for the academic years to 1996/97 to 2008/09. Data for the 2009/10 academic year will become available from January 2011.
	The Department does not hold constituency-level data for students studying higher education courses at further education colleges.
	
		
			  Young( 1)  undergraduate entrants( 2 ) from Redcar constituency( 3) , UK higher education institutions( 4) , academic years 1996/97 to 2008/09 
			  Academic year  Number 
			 1996/97 285 
			 1997/98 315 
			 1998/99 275 
			 1999/2000 340 
			 2000/01 340 
			 2001/02 345 
			 2002/03 345 
			 2003/04 360 
			 2004/05 375 
			 2005/06 370 
			 2006/07 420 
			 2007/08 460 
			 2008/09 490 
			 (1) Young refers to entrants aged under 21.  (2) Covers entrants to both full-time and part-time courses.  (3) The table does not include entrants where the constituency of the student cannot be established due to missing or invalid postcode information.  (4) Excludes the Open university due to inconsistencies in their coding of entrants across the time series.   Notes: Figures are based on a HESA snapshot population as at 1 December and are rounded to the nearest five.  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Student Record.

Industry: Women

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what steps he plans to take to increase the representation of women in non-traditional industries;
	(2)  what assistance other than that provided through the Women and Work Sector Skills Pathway Initiative his Department provides to help women employees progress in industries in which they are under-represented.

John Hayes: We believe that skills are essential to enabling people to find and keep jobs, progress in work, and contribute to stronger and more cohesive communities. BIS' commitment to ensuring equitable access for women to skills training, sustainable employment, and full engagement in non-traditional sectors enforces that view.
	BIS delivers a range of policies and programmes, other that the Women and Work Sector Pathways Initiative, that help deliver this vision. These include:
	An enhanced information, advice and guidance service for adults, offer high quality personalised information about a range of training and support;
	Providing employability skills to those with the greatest skills needs;
	Funding for the UK Resource Centre for Women (UKRC) in Science, Engineering and Technology, supporting the delivery of the strategy for Women in Science;
	STEM Ambassadors encouraging young people to pursue studies in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM);
	The National Apprenticeship Service works with Connexions, Next Steps, local authorities, Job Centre Plus and other key partners to increase the number and diversity of people starting apprenticeships and progressing to the next apprenticeship.
	We are working with the National Apprenticeship Service to explore new ways of encouraging more women into atypical careers through apprenticeships. Pilots have been designed to increase the ability to tackle the broader issues of under representations in apprenticeships, including gender segregation and access to apprenticeships for individuals with a learning difficulty or disability. Equality issues will also be covered in the equalities impact assessment which will underpin our forthcoming skills strategy.

Industry: Women

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  how many women have received assistance from the Women and Work Sector Skills Pathway Initiative since its inception;
	(2)  what estimate he made of the proportion of women who have taken part in the Women and Work Sector Skills Pathway Initiative since its inception who subsequently gained employment;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Women and Work Sector Pathways Initiative.

John Hayes: Since the Women and Work Sector Pathways Initiative began in 2006 until the end of March 2010, 16,736 women have completed the programme. Around another 5,000 will be helped in the financial year 2010-11.
	Only one project has involved unemployed women. In 2009-10 and 2010-11 GoSkills ran a project to train unemployed women as bus drivers. Of the 51 women who participated, 20 have gone into direct employment following the training. In 2010-11 37 women are expected to complete this training with eight of them having already starting work.
	Phases 1 and 2 of Women and Work have been evaluated by external companies IFF, PRI and BMG Research. The phase 2 evaluation quotes a 96% employer and 90% participant satisfaction rate. 51% of employers had not previously engaged with their SSC and 40% of participants had never received off the job training before. 5% of participants were working for different employers at the time they were surveyed compared to an average UK employer turnover rate of 15.7% in 2009. The evaluation is available on the UK Commission for Employment and Skills website at:
	http://www.ukces.org.uk/our-work/qualifications/woman-and-work/

Industry: Women

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  how many women participated in the women and work sector skills pathway initiative in the North East;
	(2)  which industrial sectors participated in the women and work sector skills pathway initiative in the North East;
	(3)  which industrial sector had the highest number of  (a) women and  (b) employers participating in the women and work sector skills pathway initiative in the North East.

John Hayes: In phase 3 of the Women and Work Sector Pathways (March 2009 to April 2010) 124 women and 31 employers participated in the North East. Of these Lantra, the SSC for land-based and environmental industries, had the highest number of both women and employers participating. A breakdown of women and employers by Sector Skills Councils is given in the following table. No further breakdown by industry is available and information by region was not kept in phases 1 and 2:
	
		
			  Sector Skills Council  Participants  Employers 
			 Semta (science, engineering and manufacturing technologies) 32 2 
			 Skills for Justice (justice and community safety) 1 1 
			 The Institute of the Motor Industry IMI (automotive retail) 34 3 
			 People 1(st) (hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism) 2 1 
			 Lantra (land-based and environmental) 37 20 
			 ConstructionSkills 1 (1)0 
			 Asset Skills (facilities management, housing, property, planning, cleaning and parking) (1)0 2 
			 Skillfast (Fashion and Textiles) from  1 April 2010 fashion and textiles became part of Skillset 17 2 
			 Total 124 31 
			 (1) Regions where people live and work are sometimes different.

Innovation

Stephen Mosley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to ensure that Britain's science and innovation sector contributes to economic growth.

David Willetts: Science and Innovation are critical to our future prosperity and are strongly supported by this Government. As part of the spending review, we are continuing to strengthen the way we support science and innovation and improving the way they contribute to economic growth. We will set out our strategy for economic growth in a White Paper later this year.

News International

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what meetings  (a) he and  (b) Ministers in his Department have had with executives of (i) News International Limited and (ii) News Corporation since their appointment.

Edward Davey: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills had a short introductory phone call with James Murdoch of News Corporation on 15 June 2010 and my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries met with Rebekah Brooks of News International on 12 July 2010. None of the other Ministers in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has held meetings with executives of (i) News International Ltd or (ii) News Corporation since their appointment.

News International

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what meetings Ministers in his Department have had with  (a) Rebekah Brooks,  (b) James Murdoch and  (c) representatives of News International since 12 May; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Davey: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills had a short introductory phone call with James Murdoch on 15 June 2010 and my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries met with Rebekah Brooks of News International on 12 July 2010. None of the other Ministers in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has held meetings with  (a) Rebekah Brooks,  (b) James Murdoch and  (c) representatives of News International since 12 May 2010.

Overseas Trade: Philippines

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many officials in his Department work on the promotion of trade between the United Kingdom and the Philippines; and what the equivalent figure was in  (a) 1983,  (b) 1987 and  (c) each year between 1998 and 2008.

Mark Prisk: UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) leads on trade and investment promotion with the Philippines. UKTI's parent Departments are the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. Staffing figures for 1983, 1987 and for each year since 1998 are not available.
	Currently there are seven full-time UKTI staff in the Philippines (supported by the British ambassador's time, as appropriate) and eight staff covering South East Asia, including the Philippines, in our International Group in London.

Research: Manpower

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent estimate he has made of the number of people who are employed in scientific research projects which receive Government funding.

David Willetts: The Department for Business Innovation and Skills provides funding to the research councils which in turn provide funding for research projects.
	The research councils estimate that they support 9,000 scientific postdoctoral researchers (full-time equivalents) working on grants in higher education institutions, and about 4,000 researchers in research council institutes.

Skills Funding Agency: Information Officers

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many staff are employed by the Skills Funding Agency to work on  (a) communications and  (b) public information campaigns.

John Hayes: The information is as follows:
	
		
			  (a)  S taff working on communications 
			   Number 
			 Skills Funding Agency 39 
			 Information Management Services 4 
			 Total 43 
		
	
	
		
			  (b) Staff employed under public information campaigns 
			   Number 
			 Skills Funding Agency 5 
		
	
	The National Apprenticeship Service employs 18 staff to work on both communications and public campaigns across England.

Sunday Trading

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent representations he has received on Sunday trading legislation.

Mark Prisk: Since the beginning of May 2010 the Department has received four representations by correspondence; one from a retail organisation and three from individuals, two of which came via their Members of Parliament. The Department has also met with representatives of local authorities to discuss the application of the Sunday Trading Act 1994 and has responded to six parliamentary questions and a question to the Deputy Prime Minister from the "Student Room" website on the subject.

Unemployment: Graduates

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of people who have obtained a degree in the last five years who are  (a) unemployed and  (b) employed but earning a salary below the £15,000 student loan repayment threshold.

David Willetts: The information is not available.
	Information on the destinations of the 2004/05 cohort of higher education (HE) graduates was collected via the Longitudinal Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (Long DLHE) survey. Results from this were published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) in 2009. No survey of the 2005/06 cohort was taken, though a cohort of students who graduated in 2006/07 will be surveyed in November this year. The results of this are due to be published in 2011.
	From the report, 2.9% of the UK domiciled full-time first degree graduates were assumed to be unemployed three-and-a-half years after graduating. Of those who were in full-time employment in the UK and declared a salary, 8.6% declared a salary which was below £15,000 per annum.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Allotments

Nicky Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent progress he has made on encouraging local authorities to provide space for allotments.

Andrew Stunell: The provision of allotments is the responsibility of local authorities. Allotment legislation places a duty on local authorities (except for inner London boroughs) to provide allotments where they consider that there is a demand for them in their area.
	Government are supporting innovative approaches to making land available for community use, including food growing. Community landbanking and "meanwhile licences/leases", being developed by the Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens and the Development Trusts Association respectively, could be tools that the community can use to get more access to land for a variety of green space uses.

Circulator Pumps: Energy

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department plans to take steps to inform circulator pump fitters of the inclusion of circulator pumps with an A-G energy label in Part L of the Building Regulations.

Andrew Stunell: CLG published four revised Part L Approved Documents and two new Building Services Compliance Guides in April 2010, containing practical guidance on complying with the revised requirements of Part L of the Building Regulations that came into force on 1 October 2010. The two Buildings Services Compliance Guides specifically recommend that circulator pumps should be labelled in accordance with the Europump Labelling Scheme and have a rating in the range A to G.
	There are no plans to specifically inform circulator pump fitters about the recommendations on circulator pumps, but CLG officials have recently supported a number of dissemination and training events for industry in relation to the 2010 Part L revisions.

Community Assets

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he is taking to support community ownership of assets.

Andrew Stunell: The Government are funding the Asset Transfer Unit (ATU) to promote best practice across England and provide advice and expertise on matters relating to asset transfer to communities. The ATU is also supporting 20 local authorities and their community sector partners to develop asset transfer strategies and projects through the final year of the Advancing Assets for Communities demonstration programme. The ATU has drawn on local experience and the expertise of specialist partner organisations to develop good practice material for communities and local authorities, which is available at:
	www.atu.org.uk
	Recognising that access to finance is crucial to a growth in community ownership of assets, the Government are also funding the £70 million Communitybuilders programme which aims to support neighbourhood based community organisations to acquire or improve assets and extend their services through a mix of loans and grants. We are also supporting greater use of community shares as an innovative way to attract extra investment, increase community empowerment and grow community enterprises.
	In addition the Government are determined to put communities in a better position to respond to the closure of facilities that are important to them, and to the potential offered by redundant buildings which they have plans to transform as community hubs. We will be introducing proposals in the Localism Bill in November.

Community Relations

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent contribution his Department has made to the Government's agenda for tackling extremism.

Andrew Stunell: The coalition Government are committed to tackling extreme, intolerant and divisive groups. My Department is taking a leading role in developing the programme for challenging extremism, as part of CLG's wider work to develop the Government's approach to integration. My Department is also contributing to the Home Office-led review of the Prevent strand of the counter-terrorism strategy.

Empty Dwelling Management Orders

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many  (a) interim and  (b) final empty dwelling management orders have been (i) applied for and (ii) made to date.

Andrew Stunell: To date, 43 applications for interim empty dwelling management orders have been made to the Residential Property Tribunal Service, of which 36 have been approved. Local authorities do not need any further approval to make final empty dwelling management orders and data are not collected on them.

Housing: Carbon Emissions

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what definition of a zero-carbon home his Department uses.

Andrew Stunell: My right hon. Friend the Minister for Housing and Local Government set out the Government's approach to zero carbon homes in his written statement to Parliament of 27 July 2010,  Official Report, column 83WS.

Housing: Sustainable Development

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans he has for the future of  (a) the Code for Sustainable Homes and  (b) Part L of the Building Regulations.

Andrew Stunell: The 2010 revisions to the Code for Sustainable Homes are expected to be published shortly. Thereafter the Government plan to review the future role of the code, in the context of our aims to simplify the overall system of new build standards.
	The Government have committed to continuous improvements in the energy efficiency of new housing as part of the Zero Carbon Homes agenda, and are considering their approach for new non-domestic buildings. In this context, we are scoping work for further changes to Part L in 2013.

Voluntary Organisations: Finance

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding his Department allocated to voluntary groups in Coventry in each year since 2005.

Andrew Stunell: The Department's records do not hold information about grant payments to the voluntary sector by geographical area so the information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, as part of the new Government's transparency initiative, the Department has published grant spending data, which can be found at:
	www.communities.gov.uk/publications/corporate/spendinggrantdata0910

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Government Olympic Executive

Andrew Bingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what expenditure the Government Olympic Executive incurred on staff salaries in each of the last five years.

Hugh Robertson: In each of the last five years, the amount spent on staff salaries in the Government Olympic Executive (GOE) was:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2005-06 (1)1.091 
			 2006-07 2.765 
			 2007-08 4.669 
			 2008-09 6.951 
			 2009-10 8.418 
			 (1 )Part year. 
		
	
	The amount spent on salaries reflects the increase in the number of civil servants (full-time equivalents (FTEs)) working in the GOE, from approximately 30 FTEs in 2005-06 (not a full year) to 92.9 FTEs in 2009-10.
	From 2007-08 these figures have included two key senior staff who were appointed on fixed term contracts ending in 2012 and whose remuneration reflects their extensive experience and the unique challenge of delivering the Olympics to a fixed deadline. Details of their remuneration have been published in the departmental Annual Reports and Accounts for each year since.
	This planned increase in staffing (a) reflects the development of GOE's role during this period-including overseeing the entire Olympic project, integrating the work of multiple delivery bodies, and driving through savings-some £700 million to date and keeping within the £9.3 billion public sector funding provision; (b) is a planned response to the expected growth in work to deliver the Government's commitments and guarantees, as 2012 approaches; and (c) is consistent with GOE's staffing and resource plan for 2008-09 to 2010-11, which was agreed early in 2008.

Government Olympic Executive

Andrew Bingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much the Government Olympic Executive has paid in bonuses to its employees in each of the last five years.

Hugh Robertson: The Government Olympic Executive (GOE) makes non-consolidated performance payments to its employees for two purposes: (a) in-year non-consolidated performance payments to reward outstanding contributions in particularly demanding tasks or situations; and (b) year-end non-consolidated performance payments to reward highly successful performance over a whole year. In both cases they help drive high performance.
	Non-consolidated performance payments are an integral element of the reward package for staff, have to be re-earned each year and do not add to future pay bill costs (e.g. pensions).
	Details of both in-year and year-end non-consolidated performance payments for GOE are as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2005-06 4,200 
			 2006-07 21,341 
			 2007-08 72,791 
			 2008-09 141,793 
			 2009-10 213,916 
		
	
	From 2007-08, these figures have included two key senior staff in GOE, who were appointed on fixed term contracts ending in 2012 and whose remuneration reflects their extensive experience and the unique challenge of delivering the Olympics to a fixed deadline. Details of their remuneration have been published in the departmental Annual Reports and Accounts for each year since.

Government Olympic Executive

Andrew Bingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what expenditure the Government Olympic Executive has incurred on consultants in each of the last five years.

Hugh Robertson: The Government Olympic Executive's (GOE) expenditure on consultancy costs is:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2005-06 666,000 
			 2006-07 721,000 
			 2007-08 432,000 
			 2008-09 331,000 
			 2009-10 547,000 
		
	
	These figures include expenditure by the GOE's predecessor, the Olympic Games Unit. All figures include VAT (where appropriate).
	GOE is overseeing the entire Olympic project, integrating the work of multiple delivery bodies, driving out savings and ensuring the games is delivered within the £9.3 billion public sector funding provision. GOE's purchase of consultancy services is a planned response to the need to deliver the Government's commitments and guarantees. The consultants have provided valuable short-term support, skills and expertise which has enabled GOE to, among other things:
	identify how the games will act as a catalyst for the regeneration of the East End;
	develop and publish a clear Legacy Action Plan;
	develop arrangements for the delivery of the physical and sporting legacy;
	ensure that the necessary assurance processes are in place;
	ensure that all elements of the programme are integrated efficiently;
	from 2009-10, undertake tracking research on public attitudes to the Olympics and to understand knowledge levels and concerns of residents in the five host boroughs (as we get closer to the games it is essential for the Government to understand the views of the general public and the residents of the five boroughs).

Public Service Broadcasting

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether his Department has requested legal advice on the funding of S4/C in the last two years.

Edward Vaizey: DCMS, like other Government Departments, seeks legal advice where it is appropriate to do so. However, the Department does not comment in relation to a particular circumstance whether or not it has sought or received any such advice.

Sports: Females

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what steps he plans to take to increase women's participation in sport.

Hugh Robertson: In working with the sport national governing bodies (NGBs) on their whole sport plans (WSP), Sport England emphasises the need to encourage women and girls to participate in all sports.
	While Sport England has not set specific targets for NGBs on increasing participation among particular groups of people, funding levels for sports were in part assessed on the strength of their strategic plans to deliver on increased participation among women, black and minority ethnic groups, and disabled people.
	In addition to the core (WSP) funding, Sport England is investing £10 million in an Active Women initiative. This funding is aimed at helping women in disadvantaged communities and women caring for children under 16. Successful applicants will demonstrate the ability to increase participation for these two groups.
	For the NGBs, developing the girls' and women's game, disability sport, and reaching out to diverse communities is not an optional extra but a vital part of what they are required to do. If any sport does not accept this challenge, Sport England will switch their funding to those that do.

DEFENCE

Armed Forces: Cadets

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what  (a) financial and  (b) administrative assistance his Department offers to cadets undertaking vocational qualifications in (i) England, (ii) Wales, (iii) Scotland and (iv) Northern Ireland;
	(2)  what recent discussions he has had with cadet forces on the completion of vocational qualifications by cadets in  (a) England,  (b) Wales,  (c) Scotland and  (d) Northern Ireland in 2011-12.

Andrew Robathan: I discussed this issue with the cadet forces during the summer of 2010 and while I strongly encourage the attainment of qualifications, the Ministry of Defence does not provide financial assistance for cadets to undertake educational (and therefore also vocational) qualifications. In England, funding is made available through the Young People's Learning Agency (historically the Learning Skills Council); for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, funding for vocational qualifications for cadets is a devolved matter.
	Cadets have access to a Business and Technology Education Council (BTEC) Officer nominated for their unit, who liaises with the cadets and provides administrative support throughout the period of their qualification attainment.

Armed Forces: Housing

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 13 September 2010,  Official Report, column 727W, on the armed forces: housing, into what categories each call received in respect of service family accommodation in 2009 was allocated; and how many such calls were classified as  (a) urgent,  (b) non-urgent and  (c) other.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 13 October 2010
	All work orders arising from calls to the relevant Helpdesk are classed as one of three categories: Emergency, Urgent or Routine.
	The number of Emergency, Urgent and Routine works orders raised during 2009 are shown in the following table:
	
		
			   Emergency  Urgent  Routine  Total 
			 England and Wales 42,537 59,921 124,431 226,889 
			 Scotland 1,618 3,077 10,729 15,424 
			 Northern Ireland 1,389 4,761 4,998 11,148

Departmental Carbon Emissions

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has made an estimate of the change in the level of carbon dioxide emissions from his Department since May 2010; and what steps he plans to take to meet his Department's target of reducing such emissions by 10 per cent. by May 2011.

Andrew Robathan: The 10% saving initiative is limited to the civil element of the Defence estate with a baseline of 62,799 tonnes of CO2, for 2009-10. The estimated emissions to the end of August are approximately 22,000 tonnes CO2. Noting that these figures include estimated data where accurate bills are not available, and that it covers the spring/summer months, the Ministry of Defence believes it is on course to meet the 10% reduction target.
	All MOD sites within the 10% reduction target have submitted plans to reduce emissions with general measures being considered such as: establishing core hours for heating/cooling offices; encouraging cleaning during office hours; regular walk-round surveys; not heating above 19C or cooling below 24C; revising server room cooling temperatures; and eliminating unnecessary internal/external lighting.

Departmental Empty Property

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the estimated monetary value is of each vacant  (a) building and  (b) parcel of land owned by his Department in each region.

Andrew Robathan: Land or buildings which are temporarily vacant may not be surplus to longer term requirements. Where a site is determined to be surplus it is disposed of as quickly as possible. The current list of the sites in disposal together with those earmarked for future disposal is available in the Library of the House.
	It is not possible to give the estimated monetary value of each vacant building or parcel of land, as this information is not held. Given the size of the estate, such market valuations would be expensive to commission and require frequent updating to allow for changing market conditions and other factors. Asset valuations of major defence sites based on their existing use are included in the National Asset Register and can be found at:
	http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/8/D/nar2007_chapter7.pdf
	Market valuations are usually obtained only prior to a disposal and their disclosure could prejudice commercial interests.

Departmental Work Experience

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many interns his Department has engaged in the last 12 months; and how many were  (a) unpaid,  (b) remunerated with expenses only and  (c) paid a salary.

Andrew Robathan: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Patrol Craft

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the future of the P2000 class patrol vessel fleet; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: Decisions on the future structure of the Royal Navy are being taken forward as part of the Strategic Defence and Security Review.

Trident

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the location is of each Royal Navy submarine operational berth in service in  (a) the UK and  (b) overseas.

Nick Harvey: The locations of the in service operational berths for Royal Navy submarines in the UK and overseas are as follows:
	Barrow
	Loch Ewe
	Loch Goil
	Plymouth
	Portland Port
	Portsmouth
	River Clyde estuary
	Southampton.
	 Overseas:
	Gibraltar
	Falkland Islands
	Diego Garcia.
	There are a further 25 operational berths available overseas to Royal Navy submarines but I am withholding the location as disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness and security of our armed forces.

EDUCATION

Building Schools for the Future Programme: North East

Pat Glass: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  if he will estimate the likely monetary value of compensation claims made by construction companies consequent on the cancellation of the contracts under the Building Schools for the Future programme in  (a) North West Durham constituency and  (b) the North East;
	(2)  if he will estimate the likely effect on the number of construction jobs in  (a) North West Durham constituency and  (b) the North East of the cancellation of the Building Schools for the Future programme.

Nick Gibb: Where there are contractual obligations on local authorities in respect of the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme, they will be honoured. Where no contract has been finalised and signed, or no firm agreement to build a further wave of schools where an agreement with a local education partnership is already in place, there will be no compensation payments to be made. We are not aware of any compensation claims having been made to date; therefore no estimate has been made of the monetary value of such claims made by construction companies consequent on the decisions over BSF in  (a) North West Durham constituency and  (b) the North East.
	The effects of ending the BSF programme on the construction industry were considered by the Secretary of State in coming to his decision although not specifically on the number of construction jobs in  (a) North West Durham constituency and  (b) the North East.

Departmental Contracts

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the monetary value is of contracts his Department has awarded to each  (a) management consultancy and  (b) IT company since 7 May 2010.

Tim Loughton: The Department has not awarded a contract to a management consultancy company since 7 May 2010 but there have been some contracts awarded to IT companies and the monetary value of those contracts were as follows:
	
		
			  IT company  Monetary value of the contract (£) 
			 Actica Consulting Ltd 159,912.50 
			 Blazie 7,507.00 
			 CCI Group 9,776.10 
			 Cesg 304.00 
			 Comms Express 457.70 
			 Cubelogic Solutions 26,840 
			 Ultimate Locks Ltd 2,280.00 
			 SoftCat Ltd 23,123.88

Departmental Empty Property

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the estimated monetary value is of each vacant  (a) building and  (b) parcel of land owned by his Department in each region.

Tim Loughton: The Department for Education does not own any vacant property or land. It does have a number of vacant leasehold properties. However, there is no requirement for the Department to have these properties valued so we do not hold the information required to respond to this request.

Departmental ICT

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which IT contracts awarded by his Department and its predecessors in the last five years have been abandoned; and what the monetary value of each such contract was.

Tim Loughton: The Department for Education has not abandoned any IT contracts.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if his Department will take steps to assess the effects on  (a) equality of incomes,  (b) equality of assets and  (c) equality of access to services of measures relating to its expenditure under consideration in the Spending Review.

Tim Loughton: The Department for Education will ensure the relevant equality considerations are taken in to account in the context of expenditure under consideration in the spending review, in compliance with our obligations under the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, the Race Relations Act 1976, and the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.

Free Schools

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  how many expressions of interest in becoming a free school the New School Network has received in  (a) Doncaster and  (b) Don Valley to date;
	(2)  how many independent schools have submitted  (a) expressions of interest in and  (b) formal proposals on becoming a free school.

Nick Gibb: New Schools Network (NSN) does not receive expressions of interest. People can, however, enter their details on NSN's website for further information on free schools.
	The Department has not received any free schools proposals from the Don Valley area, but has received one proposal from Doncaster local authority area. So far 45 independent schools have submitted formal proposals to become free schools. To date one has been approved to progress to the business stage.

GCE A-level

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the proportion of pupils who took GCSEs in 2010 who are studying A-levels  (a) in England and  (b) in Milton Keynes.

Nick Gibb: Information on students registered for courses beginning in September 2010 is not yet available. The most up-to-date estimates available are based on those who completed year 11 in 2008. These show that both in England as a whole and in Milton Keynes, 44% of pupils who attended maintained schools in year 11 in 2007/08 were studying A/AS levels in 2008/09. The source of these estimates is the Department for Education's matched administrative data.

National Curriculum Tests

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the effect on the national average achieved in standard assessment tests in 2009-10 of industrial action by teaching unions.

Nick Gibb: Results from the 2010 Key Stage 2 National Curriculum Tests are available at:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000949/index.shtml
	This includes an assessment of the effect on the national average achieved in the tests in 2009-10 of industrial action by teaching unions.

Schools: Libraries

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  whether he has provided guidance to  (a) local education authorities and  (b) head teachers on his Department's policy on the future of school libraries; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many local authorities with education departments have a school library service; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The Department does not provide guidance to local authorities and head teachers on school libraries and does not routinely collect information on school library services provided by local authorities.
	While the provision of a school library is not compulsory, a good school library is a valuable resource for pupils and teachers. We therefore welcome the new report from the Commission set up by the National Literacy Trust and Museums, Libraries and Archives, "School Libraries: A Plan for Improvement", on the future role for school libraries and schools library services. The report includes recommendations to interested groups, in particular to local authorities and to head teachers.
	The Department agrees that good school libraries and school library services can make a positive contribution to children's literacy, and that schools are well placed to identify the contribution which school libraries can make to meet their educational needs.

Science: GCE A-level

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the proportion of pupils who took science subjects at GCSE level in 2010 who are studying a science subject at A-level.

Nick Gibb: Information on students registered for courses beginning in September 2010 is not yet available. The most up-to-date estimates available are based on those who started studying AS levels in September 2009. In England 524,000 pupils in the mainstream maintained sector were entered for at least one GCSE in a science subject at the end of Key Stage 4 in 2009, and 113,000 students (in both maintained schools and colleges) enrolled on at least one AS level in a science subject in autumn 2009. Therefore we estimate that 22% of pupils who took science at GCSE level in 2009 are studying a science subject at AS level in 2009/10(1).
	(1) Assumes that all learners studying science at AS level in 2009/10 were part of the cohort entered for GCSE science in the previous year.

Teachers: Recruitment

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he plans to take to encourage recruitment of experienced staff to schools which have received poor Ofsted ratings.

Nick Gibb: Recruitment of teachers other than trainees is largely a matter for schools, who are best placed to make decisions about their particular requirements. The School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD), which contains the statutory pay and conditions of employment for teachers in maintained schools in England and Wales, includes a number of pay flexibilities to support recruitment and retention, which may be used to attract experienced staff where appropriate.
	The Government are also committed to introducing a pupil premium for disadvantaged children. It will be for head teachers and school governors to decide how to use the premium to meet the needs of disadvantaged children in their schools, and this might include using flexibilities in the pay system to attract more experienced staff. Ministers are determined to make teaching a more attractive profession for teachers in all schools, by removing bureaucracy, trusting teachers to get on with their job and taking measures to tackle behaviour and discipline in schools. These include strengthening teachers' powers to maintain good behaviour in the classroom, removing the bureaucratic burden on schools when giving detentions, and giving teachers the strongest possible protection from false allegations. The Government will announce further measures to reduce bureaucracy during the autumn, as Ministers engage with teachers and frontline staff on their plans to give them more power and remove the form-filling and bureaucracy that takes them away from the classroom.
	The Government have announced already their plan to fund a considerable expansion in the Teach First programme, which has been very successful in bringing hundreds of high quality teachers into schools in the most deprived areas. There will now be Teach First teachers working in one third of all challenging schools right across the country, including some of the most challenging primary schools.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Carbon Sequestration

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what progress has been made in the establishment of four carbon capture and storage demonstration projects.

Charles Hendry: The Government confirmed their intention to support four commercial scale, full chain, CCS demonstration projects in the coalition programme.
	The competition for the first of these projects is progressing. The two bidders (consortiums led by Scottish Power and E.On) are half-way through their Front-End Engineering and Design (FEED) studies.
	DECC have recently completed a market sounding process with key stakeholders to help inform the design of the programme and the development of the selection process for the additional projects. It is intended to launch a call for proposals by the end of the year.

Circulator Pumps: Energy

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the  (a) carbon dioxide and  (b) energy savings consequent on the inclusion of circulator pumps with an A-G energy label in Part L of the Buildings Regulations in each of the next five years.

Gregory Barker: The Department has not estimated the carbon and energy benefits of A to G labelled circulator pumps in Part L.
	The benefits are influenced by the actual circulator efficiency and the number of running hours and this would be bespoke to each installation. From 2013, under Regulation 641/2009 the eco-design requirements for glandless standalone circulators, which implements Directive 2005/32/EC, new circulators will have to have an energy efficiency index of not more than 0.27, which is equivalent to an 'A' rating. This reduces to 0.23 from 2015.

Electricity Generation

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether his Department's plans for electricity market reform will include proposals for further requirements on Ofgem to deliver renewable energy objectives; and when he expects to announce his plans for the future regulation of the electricity market.

Charles Hendry: The Government, in line with the coalition agreement, have commissioned the Committee on Climate Change to consider the level of ambition for renewables for the period beyond 2020. They are due to produce a final report in April 2011.
	The Annual Energy Statement explained that the Electricity Market Reform consultation will be published in autumn 2010 with a White Paper in spring 2011.

Fuel Poverty: West Midlands

Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent estimate he has made of the number and proportion of households in  (a) Warwick and Leamington constituency,  (b) Warwickshire and  (c) the West Midlands which are in fuel poverty.

Gregory Barker: In 2006, the most recent year for which sub-regional figures are available, there were around 6,600 (14%) fuel poor households in the Warwick and Leamington constituency and 29,000 (13%) in the county of Warwickshire.
	In 2008, there were around 500,000 (23%) fuel poor households in the west midlands.

Natural Gas: Storage

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he or officials of his Department have met representatives of Halite Energy Group on Canatxx since his appointment.

Charles Hendry: Neither I, nor my ministerial colleagues have met with Halite since my appointment. Officials have met Halite on one occasion.
	I have a meeting scheduled with representatives of the Halite Energy Group for 2 November (after our forthcoming meeting), which officials will also attend.

Offshore Industry

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what timetable he has set for publication of his safety review of the UK oil and gas industry.

Charles Hendry: As stated in the Annual Energy Statement, a review of the UK's offshore oil and gas regulatory approach will be carried out as soon as the more precise and detailed findings from the gulf of Mexico incident investigations have been released. The timing for completion of our review will be dependent on when the US Administration publish their report into the incident (currently anticipated early 2011).

Renewable Energy

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his policy is on  (a) the creation of new and  (b) Government assistance for existing manufacturing centres for marine renewable energy.

Charles Hendry: In the coalition agreement the Government have committed to introducing measures to encourage marine energy. We are currently working up proposals on marine energy, including how the development of marine energy parks can contribute to the development of the sector, and will make announcements on this in due course.
	The UK is well placed to benefit from the expansion of the offshore wind industry. We have strong research and development, engineering, technology and manufacturing capabilities. We also have a skilled work force and excellent companies that are ready to diversify into this new market.

Sizewell B Power Station: Safety

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what projects the licensee of Sizewell B undertook by agreement with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE)  (a) in response to recommendations of the periodic safety review 2005 and  (b) since the periodic safety review 2005; what timetable was set for completion of this work; and on what dates each project was completed to a standard approved by the HSE.

Charles Hendry: The purpose of a periodic safety review (PSR) is to establish the performance of a licensed nuclear plant against the safety case approved by the Health and Safety Executive's Nuclear Directorate (HSE ND), and to identify any improvements that may be necessary. It is a condition of a nuclear site licence that an operator of a nuclear facility conducts a PSR for that facility at least every 10 years.
	British Energy Generation Ltd completed a PSR for the Sizewell B nuclear power station at the end of 2003. HSE ND assessed the PSR and advised British Energy Generation Ltd of its findings in January 2005. HSE ND's assessment report was published on HSE's website in June 2006.
	The programme of work arising from the PSR contained projects proposed by British Energy Generation Ltd and actions identified by HSE ND in its assessment of the review. The programme consisted of 234 separate work items for the company, of which 231 have been addressed to HSE ND's satisfaction. While technically challenging, the remaining three actions are of relatively low safety significance.
	The key change made because of the 2005 PSR is that British Energy Generation Ltd put in place improvements to the effectiveness of its safety management systems at the Sizewell B nuclear power station.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Departmental Drinking Water

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much her Department has spent on bottled water in each year since 2008.

Richard Benyon: It has been the policy of DEFRA and its executive agencies since March 2007 that bottled water will not be served at any meetings or lunches, and that tap water only will be supplied. No expenditure has been identified.

Marine Management Organisation: Manpower

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many  (a) full-time staff,  (b) part-time staff and  (c) consultants are employed by the Marine Management Organisation in (i) Newcastle and (ii) elsewhere; and how many employees of each type had been transferred from London to Newcastle in the last 12 months.

Richard Benyon: The information is given in the following tables.
	
		
			   Newcastle  Elsewhere 
			 Full-time 128 95 
			 Part-time 2 16 
			 Consultants 1 0 
			 Total 131 111 
		
	
	
		
			   Transferred to Newcastle 
			 Full-time 11 
			 Part-time 0 
			 Consultants 0 
			 Total 11

National Wildlife Crime Unit: Finance

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has for funding of the UK National Wildlife Crime Unit in the next three years; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: Many Government Departments will have reduced budgets in the coming years, as part of the Government's drive to reduce the country's budget deficit. I very much appreciate the value of the work of the National Wildlife Crime Unit but cannot make any commitment to its future funding until the outcome of the comprehensive spending review is known.

Special Areas of Conservation

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in respect of each proposed  (a) new and  (b) extension to a (i) Special Protection Area and (ii) Special Area of Conservation, on what date (A) the departmental brief was received from Natural England, (B) public consultation was initiated for the proposal and (C) Natural England submitted a recommendation on the public consultation; what the designation status is of each such proposal; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: The following table comprises those marine and terrestrial sites in England for which designation proposals have been made under the EU habitats or birds directives and where the designation process has not been completed.
	
		
			  Site  SAC/SPA  Date brief received from NE  Public consultation commenced  Final recommendations to DEFRA  Designation status 
			 Inner Dowsing, Race Bank and North Ridge SAC February 2009 27 November 2009 June 2010 Candidate SAC since  20 August 2010 
			 Haisborough, Hammond and Winterton SAC February 2009 27 November 2009 June 2010 Candidate SAC since  20 August 2010 
			 Margate and Long Sands SAC February 2009 27 November 2009 June 2010 Candidate SAC since  20 August 2010 
			 Lyme Bay and Torbay SAC February 2009 27 November 2009 June 2010 Candidate SAC since  20 August 2010 
			 Prawle Point to Plymouth Sound and Eddystone SAC February 2009 27 November 2009 June 2010 Candidate SAC since  20 August 2010 
			 Lizard Point SAC February 2009 27 November 2009 June 2010 Candidate SAC since  20 August 2010 
			 Land's End and Cape Bank SAC February 2009 27 November 2009 June 2010 Candidate SAC since  20 August 2010 
			 Shell Flat SAC February 2009 27 November 2009 June 2010 SAC since 20 August 2010 
			 Lune Deep SAC May 2010 20 August 2010 n/a Proposed SAC 
			 Prawle Point to Start Point SAC May 2010 20 August 2010 n/a Proposed SAC 
			 Portland to Studland Reef SAC September 2010 Expected to be early 2011 n/a Draft SAC 
			 Pevensey Levels SAC 8 July 2010 24 August 2010 n/a Proposed SAC 
			 Arun Valley SAC 8 July 2010 24 August 2010 n/a Proposed SAC 
			 The Broads SAC 8 July 2010 24 August 2010 n/a Existing SAC; new interest feature proposed 
			 Bolton Fell Moss SAC (1)- August 2000 20 February 2008 (from JNCC) Site of community importance since December 2009. Awaiting formal designation as SAC. 
			 Mersey Narrows and North Wirral Foreshore SPA 9 October 2000 30 July 2001 16 February 2004 Proposed SPA 
			 Upper Nene Valley Gravel Pits SPA July 2005 27 September 2006 1 November 2007 Proposed SPA 
			 Dungeness to Pett Levels SPA 12 May 2010 16 September 2010 n/a Proposed extensions to SPA 
			 (1 )No brief produced. Different process in 2000.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

BBC External Services

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the performance of the BBC World Service against his Department's objectives for the funding of that service, with particular reference to its contribution to strengthening democracy.

Jeremy Browne: In his speech of 1 July, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary described the "essential importance of the work of...the BBC World Service, which gives Britain an unrivalled platform for the projection of the appeal of our culture and the sharing of our values".
	While it is the case the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has an ongoing dialogue with the BBC World Service on the strategic objectives of both organisations, the BBC World Service has full editorial and managerial independence and integrity.

Departmental Billing

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the average cost to his Department was of processing the payment of an invoice in the latest period for which figures are available; and what proportion of invoices settled in that period his Department paid  (a) electronically and  (b) by cheque.

Alistair Burt: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) does not maintain a central record of the average cost of processing invoice payments and this information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	In the UK, the FCO settles all invoices electronically. Our overseas posts are able to make cheque payments. However obtaining transactional level information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much money his Department allocated to  (a) the Stabilisation Aid Fund,  (b) the Conflict Prevention Pool,  (c) the Discretionary Peacekeeping Fund,  (d) the BBC World Service, excluding the BBC World Service Trust,  (e) the BBC World Service Trust,  (f) the Special Reserve,  (g) the British Council and  (h) the Security and Intelligence Fund in each year since 2005.

Alistair Burt: holding answer 11 October 2010
	The information requested is as follows:
	 (a),  (b) and  (c): On 1 April 2009 the Conflict Prevention Pool and the Stabilisation Aid Fund were merged to form the Conflict Pool, which is managed tri-departmentally by the Department for International Development (DfID), the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the Ministry of Defence (MoD). At the same time, responsibility for discretionary peacekeeping costs moved from the Peacekeeping Budget (managed by the FCO) to the Conflict Pool.
	Funding for the Peacekeeping Budget and the Conflict Pool (and its predecessors) is provided for separately by the Treasury and does not come from departmental expenditure limits (DEL). As a result, the FCO does not usually contribute to these funds from its own departmental budget. However, in financial year 2009-10, the FCO contributed an additional £2 million to the Conflict Pool from its departmental budget to support stabilisation activities in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.
	FCO spend through the Conflict Pool is listed in the Departmental Resource Accounts, available on the FCO website and in the Library of the House.
	 (d) The following table shows the final FCO allocations (including Capital) to the BBC World Service from 2005-06 to 2009-10 as published in the Spring Supplementary Estimates for each year. Actual spend each year may differ from these figures and is available in the Departmental Resource Accounts available on the FCO website and in the Library of the House.
	
		
			   £ 
			 2005-06 239,143,000 
			 2006-07 239,543,000 
			 2007-08 255,043,000 
			 2008-09 265,043,000 
			 2009-10 272,043,000 
		
	
	 (e) The BBC World Service Trust is an independent charity funded by external grants and voluntary contributions. The FCO makes no specific allocation to it each year but may fund individual projects on an ad-hoc basis.
	 (f) The FCO makes no allocations to the "Special Reserve" which is part of the Treasury Reserve.
	 (g) The following table shows the final FCO allocations (including capital) to the British Council from 2005-06 to 2009-10 as published in the Spring Supplementary Estimates for each year. Actual spend each year may differ from these figures and is available in the Departmental Resource Accounts, available on the FCO website and in the Library of the House.
	
		
			   £ 
			 2005-06 189,210,000 
			 2006-07 188,124,000 
			 2007-08 194,162,000 
			 2008-09 202,663,000 
			 2009-10 200,763,000 
		
	
	 (h) There is no Security and Intelligence Fund. However, there is a Single Intelligence Account to which the FCO makes no allocation.

Developing Countries: Fossil Fuels

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he plans to take to encourage fossil fuel subsidy reform in the emerging economies; and if he will make a statement.

Henry Bellingham: The G20 has pledged to review progress towards phasing out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies at upcoming summits. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office will work to maintain the profile of the issue at the next G20 meeting in Seoul. Ministers and officials will also continue to encourage emerging economies to implement their national commitments to reduce fossil fuel subsidies in bilateral contacts.

Iran: Nuclear Power

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the EU3+3 strategy in respect of Iran's nuclear ambitions.

Alistair Burt: When my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary met with E3+3 counterparts in September, they reaffirmed determination and commitment to seek an early negotiated solution to the Iranian nuclear issue. We assess that the E3+3's twin-track strategy of pressure and an offer to negotiate an agreement is having an impact on Iranian decision-makers. We believe it is essential that Iran come to the table; and match our good faith. If it does not, the pressure, in the form of sanctions, will increase.

Nigeria: Christianity

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has made representations to his Nigerian counterparts on reports of violence against Christians in Plateau State.

Henry Bellingham: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not made representations to his Nigerian counterpart on reports of violence against Christians in Plateau State. However, our high commission and the Department for International Development (DfiD) in Nigeria have supported non-governmental organisations in northern Nigeria to facilitate dialogue between Christian and Muslim communities, both of whom have suffered from appalling violence this year.
	DfID and our high commission in Abuja are also exploring further ways in which they can help the process of reconciliation between religious and ethnic communities, and continue to impress on state and federal authorities the importance of bringing those responsible for crimes to justice. We encourage the Nigerian Government to fully consider the implementation of recommendations made in the recent report of the Presidential Committee on the Jos Crisis.

Nigeria: Elections

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on  (a) the forthcoming elections in Nigeria and  (b) steps being taken to ensure that those elections are free and fair.

Henry Bellingham: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary discussed Nigeria's preparations for elections in 2011 with his Nigerian counterpart H. Odein Ajumogobia on 28 September. Foreign Minister Ajumogobia gave his assurance of the Nigerian Government's commitment to delivering elections which meet global benchmarks, which he echoed in his joint video message with the Foreign Secretary following their meeting:
	http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/news/latest-news/?view=News&id=22933216
	In my statement on 8 September:
	http://ukinnigeria.fco.gov.uk/en/news/?view=News&id=22827681
	I welcomed President Jonathan's commitment to credible elections and the appointment of the new Chair of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), underlining the need to press on with transparent arrangements to overhaul the voter register. The UK (through our high commission and Department for International Development programmes), alongside international partners, continues to provide assistance to INEC, the National Assembly, media, political party structures, civil society, police and the judiciary.

Philippines: Foreign Relations

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the state of UK relations with the Philippines Government; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Browne: The UK enjoys excellent relations with the Philippines. I visited Manila in July this year, where I met with newly elected President Aquino, the Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Members of the Cabinet.
	The UK is the largest EU source of foreign investment into the Philippines. We have been actively involved in efforts to bring about a lasting peace in Mindanao in the southern Philippines through our membership of an International Contact Group assisting the peace negotiations. In addition, the UK-based Filipino community of over 250,000 makes a hugely valuable contribution to the UK, particularly in the health and care sectors.

Trade Unions

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department has paid to trade unions in each year since 1997; and what estimate he has made of the monetary value of facilities provided by his Department for use by trade unions in each year since 1997.

Alistair Burt: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) does not make any payments to trade unions in the UK. Members of staff who belong to any trade union pay their own subscriptions, which are either deducted from their salaries and paid to the relevant union or paid directly by the staff in the form of direct debits.
	The FCO provides office facilities to its union representatives and meets day-to-day running costs within the rules of public expenditure set out in FCO guidance. An accurate estimate of the monetary value of facilities provided since 1997 could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

HEALTH

Back Pain: Medical Treatments

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients in  (a) North Yorkshire,  (b) Darlington and  (c) Cambridgeshire have received facet joint injections in the last 12 months.

Paul Burstow: The following table provides a count of finished consultant episodes (FCEs) where there was a main or secondary procedure or intervention of V54.4-injection around spinal facet of spine-at North Yorkshire and York, Darlington, and Cambridgeshire Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) of residence for 2008-09.
	
		
			  Activity in English national health service hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector 
			  PCT of residence  FCEs 
			 Darlington PCT 182 
			 North Yorkshire and York PCT 1,019 
			 Cambridgeshire PCT 551 
			  Notes: 1. A FCE is a continuous period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. FCEs are counted against the year in which they end. Figures do not represent the number of different patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the same stay in hospital or in different stays in the same year. The figures represent admitted patient care only. 2. Number of episodes with a (named) main or secondary procedure: The number of episodes where the procedure (or intervention) was recorded in any of the 24 (12 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and four prior to 2002-03) procedure fields in a HES record. A record is only included once in each count, even if the procedure is recorded in more than one procedure field of the record. More procedures are carried out than episodes with a main or secondary procedure. For example, patients under going a 'cataract operation' would tend to have at least two procedures-removal of the faulty lens and the fitting of a new one-counted in a single episode. 3. HES are compiled from data sent by more than 300 national health service trusts and PCTs in England, and from some independent sector organisations for activity commissioned by the English NHS. The Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain.  Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), the Information Centre for health and social care

Cancer

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients aged  (a) 49 years and under,  (b) 50 to 59 years,  (c) 60 to 69 years,  (d) 70 to 79 years and  (e) over 80 years were diagnosed with each type of cancer through the two-week referral pathway in (i) each cancer network, (ii) each primary care trust and (iii) England in each year since that pathway was established.

Paul Burstow: Any patient urgently referred for suspected cancer by their general practitioner (GP) will be subject to the two-week wait guarantee. Of these patients, any individual subsequently diagnosed with, and treated for, cancer in the English national health service should receive that treatment within 62 days. Statistics detailing the specific diagnoses or ages of these patients are not published due to the small numbers involved and the risk of disclosure of confidential information about patients.
	In the most recent period for which statistics are available (Quarter 1 2010-11), 25,590 patients were treated for cancer following an urgent GP referral for suspected cancer.
	These data were first published at an all cancer, all ages level by primary care trust (PCT) for the year 2009-10. Statistics for this period show that 97,166 patients from English PCTs were subsequently diagnosed with cancer and treated in the English NHS following an urgent GP referral for suspected cancer. A full breakdown of these data by PCT has been provided as follows and may also be found on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Statistics/Performancedataandstatistics/HospitalWaitingTimesandListStatistics/CancerWaitingTimes/DH_119716
	Data are not published on a cancer network basis, these statistics are shown on either a PCT (commissioner) basis in annual datasets or on a trust (provider) basis quarterly. These organisations are the constituent parts of cancer networks.
	
		
			  Primary care trust  Number of people receiving first treatment for cancer after urgent GP referral for suspected cancer 
			 Ashton, Leigh and Wigan PCT 453 
			 Barking and Dagenham PCT 295 
			 Barnet PCT 451 
			 Barnsley PCT 428 
			 Bassetlaw PCT 195 
			 Bath and North East Somerset PCT 295 
			 Bedfordshire PCT 773 
			 Berkshire East PCT 436 
			 Berkshire West PCT 801 
			 Bexley Care Trust 419 
			 Birmingham East and North PCT 668 
			 Blackburn with Darwen PCT 244 
			 Blackpool PCT 407 
			 Bolton PCT 442 
			 Bournemouth and Poole Teaching PCT 666 
			 Bradford and Airedale Teaching PCT 849 
			 Brent Teaching PCT 266 
			 Brighton and Hove City PCT 350 
			 Bristol PCT 789 
			 Bromley PCT 400 
			 Buckinghamshire PCT 883 
			 Bury PCT 345 
			 Calderdale PCT 354 
			 Cambridgeshire PCT 1,457 
			 Camden PCT 251 
			 Central and Eastern Cheshire PCT 781 
			 Central Lancashire PCT 881 
			 City and Hackney Teaching PCT 253 
			 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly PCT 1,711 
			 County Durham PCT 1,003 
			 Coventry Teaching PCT 573 
			 Croydon PCT 424 
			 Cumbria Teaching PCT 1,156 
			 Darlington PCT 208 
			 Derby City PCT 501 
			 Derbyshire County PCT 1,520 
			 Devon PCT 2,017 
			 Doncaster PCT 710 
			 Dorset PCT 989 
			 Dudley PCT 732 
			 Ealing PCT 287 
			 East and North Hertfordshire PCT 926 
			 East Lancashire Teaching PCT 759 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire PCT 823 
			 East Sussex Downs and Weald PCT 854 
			 Eastern and Coastal Kent PCT 1,784 
			 Enfield PCT 405 
			 Gateshead PCT 499 
			 Gloucestershire PCT 1,154 
			 Great Yarmouth and Waveney PCT 549 
			 Greenwich Teaching PCT 365 
			 Halton and St Helens PCT 476 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham PCT 115 
			 Hampshire PCT 2,642 
			 Haringey Teaching PCT 208 
			 Harrow PCT 307 
			 Hartlepool PCT 188 
			 Hastings and Rother PCT 512 
			 Havering PCT 558 
			 Heart of Birmingham Teaching PCT 205 
			 Herefordshire PCT 430 
			 Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale PCT 346 
			 Hillingdon PCT 263 
			 Hounslow PCT 180 
			 Hull Teaching PCT 511 
			 Isle of Wight NHS PCT 311 
			 Islington PCT 214 
			 Kensington and Chelsea PCT 144 
			 Kingston PCT 223 
			 Kirklees PCT 640 
			 Knowsley PCT 258 
			 Lambeth PCT 317 
			 Leeds PCT 1,406 
			 Leicester City PCT 389 
			 Leicestershire County and Rutland PCT 1,208 
			 Lewisham PCT 332 
			 Lincolnshire Teaching PCT 1,963 
			 Liverpool PCT 904 
			 Luton PCT 218 
			 Manchester PCT 592 
			 Medway PCT 276 
			 Mid Essex PCT 621 
			 Middlesbrough PCT 291 
			 Milton Keynes PCT 336 
			 Newcastle PCT 528 
			 Newham PCT 160 
			 Norfolk PCT 1,827 
			 North East Essex PCT 613 
			 North East Lincolnshire Care Trust Plus 343 
			 North Lancashire Teaching PCT 924 
			 North Lincolnshire PCT 370 
			 North Somerset PCT 472 
			 North Staffordshire PCT 494 
			 North Tyneside PCT 442 
			 North Yorkshire and York PCT 1,750 
			 Northamptonshire Teaching PCT 1,295 
			 Northumberland Care Trust 686 
			 Nottingham City PCT 561 
			 Nottinghamshire County Teaching PCT 1,672 
			 Oldham PCT 348 
			 Oxfordshire PCT 1,265 
			 Peterborough PCT 275 
			 Plymouth Teaching PCT 769 
			 Portsmouth City Teaching PCT 422 
			 Redbridge PCT 348 
			 Redcar and Cleveland PCT 354 
			 Richmond and Twickenham PCT 196 
			 Rotherham PCT 384 
			 Salford PCT 428 
			 Sandwell PCT 517 
			 Sefton PCT 646 
			 Sheffield PCT 1,048 
			 Shropshire County PCT 506 
			 Solihull Care Trust 393 
			 Somerset PCT 1,489 
			 South Birmingham PCT 574 
			 South East Essex PCT 603 
			 South Gloucestershire PCT 455 
			 South Staffordshire PCT 1,246 
			 South Tyneside PCT 341 
			 South West Essex PCT 548 
			 Southampton City PCT 438 
			 Southwark PCT 255 
			 Stockport PCT 516 
			 Stockton-on-Tees Teaching PCT 447 
			 Stoke on Trent PCT 672 
			 Suffolk PCT 1,395 
			 Sunderland Teaching PCT 608 
			 Surrey PCT 1,834 
			 Sutton and Merton PCT 511 
			 Swindon PCT 321 
			 Tameside and Glossop PCT 434 
			 Telford and Wrekin PCT 216 
			 Torbay Care Trust 414 
			 Tower Hamlets PCT 288 
			 Trafford PCT 362 
			 Wakefield District PCT 781 
			 Walsall Teaching PCT 380 
			 Waltham Forest PCT 229 
			 Wandsworth PCT 276 
			 Warrington PCT 305 
			 Warwickshire PCT 1,081 
			 West Essex PCT 425 
			 West Hertfordshire PCT 768 
			 West Kent PCT 1,157 
			 West Sussex PCT 1,625 
			 Western Cheshire PCT 614 
			 Westminster PCT 149 
			 Wiltshire PCT 806 
			 Wirral PCT 692 
			 Wolverhampton City PCT 484 
			 Worcestershire PCT 1,026 
			   
			 England 97,166 
			  Notes:  1. The NHS cancer plan all cancer 62-day referral to treatment standard dataset includes those patients separately identified in the 31-day referral to treatment standard for rare cancers.  2. Data are for all cancers, which refers to any case of diagnosed cancer regardless of cancer type.   Source:  Commissioner Based Cancer Waiting times April 2009 to March 2010 (England only).

Cancer: Drugs

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the likely effect of his proposed cancer drugs fund on patients with gastric cancer.

Simon Burns: We have made no such assessment. Along with the additional funding for cancer drugs in England that is already in place, the Cancer Drugs Fund will, from April 2011, provide cancer patients in England with greater access to the clinically effective drugs their doctors think will help extend or improve their quality of life.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the regional variations in the prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Simon Burns: General practitioners (GPs) gather data on the prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) through the Quality and Outcomes Framework. This means that data on recorded COPD prevalence are available for each GP practice, as well as for larger geographic areas such as primary care trust and strategic health authority. The raw data for 2008-09 are publicly available at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/supporting-information/audits-and-performance/the-quality-and-outcomes-framework/qof-2008/09/data-tables/prevalence-data-tables
	The consultation document on a strategy for services for COPD in England contains an estimate of all COPD prevalence (including unrecorded prevalence), but this estimate has not currently been disaggregated by region.
	The Department has appointed respiratory clinical leads in each of the 10 strategic health authorities in the United Kingdom and they have been provided with some benchmarking data. Part of the responsibility of these posts is to champion the reduction of any regional variation through local action, leading to improved patient outcomes at reduced cost to the national health service.

Dementia: Drugs

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to ensure that the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence review of dementia drugs assesses all available data and treatment options for the management of behavioural symptoms in dementia to ensure that clinicians and carers have clear guidance on  (a) how to reduce the number of prescriptions for antipsychotic drugs and  (b) managing behavioural symptoms; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: This is a matter for the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) as an independent body. NICE is currently updating its existing guidance on the use of donepezil, galantamine, rivastigmine and memantine for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and further information is available at:
	http://guidance.nice.org.uk/TA/WaveR111/1
	In developing its technology appraisal guidance, NICE routinely takes the latest available evidence into account, including comparisons with alternative treatment options.
	In addition, NICE and the Social Care Institute for Excellence published a joint clinical guideline on dementia in November 2006 that provides guidance on the management of behavioural symptoms and the use of antipsychotic drugs. NICE expects to consider whether this guidance needs to be reviewed in November 2011.

Dementia: Health Services

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how much funding he expects his Department to allocate for dementia services  (a) nationally,  (b) in Hertfordshire and  (c) in East and North Hertfordshire Primary Care Trust in each of the next five years; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how much has been spent on dementia services in  (a) Hertfordshire and  (b) East and North Hertfordshire Primary Care Trust in each of the last five years.

Paul Burstow: The Department currently allocates revenue funding directly to primary care trusts (PCTs). In 2010-11, an additional £90 million was included in PCT allocations to support the delivery of the National Dementia Strategy.
	PCT allocations are not broken down by policy area. PCTs make decisions on investment in healthcare for their communities, taking into account both local and national priorities. However, in the revised NHS Operating Framework issued by the Department in June 2010, the coalition Government indicated their greater priority for dementia by requiring PCTs and their partners to publish how they are implementing the National Dementia Strategy to increase local accountability for prioritisation.
	The amount of funding spent on dementia services is not separately identified within the audited summarisation schedules held by the Department of Health. PCT revenue allocations from 2006-07 to 2010-11 to East and North Hertfordshire PCT and West Hertfordshire PCT are set out in the following table. PCT revenue allocations post 2010-11 will be announced later this year.
	
		
			  Allocation (£000) 
			   East and North Hertfordshire PCT  West Hertfordshire PCT 
			 2006-07 608,574 627,084 
			 2007-08 667,728 679,655 
			 2008-09 704,199 716,778 
			 2009-10 759,311 773,604 
			 2010-11 803,338 813,380 
			  Notes: 1. Allocations are not always comparable between years because of changes to baseline funding. 2. The 2006-07 allocations and 2007-08 were made to 303 PCTs. The number of PCTs was reduced from 303 to 152 on 1 October 2006. Where the new PCT was a merger of two or more former PCTs, the allocations for the new PCTs are the sum of allocations for the former PCTs. In the few places where former PCTs divided between two or more new PCTs allocations have been estimated for the new PCTs. 
		
	
	In future, responsibility for the allocation of resources will transfer to the NHS Commissioning Board. The board will calculate practice-level budgets and allocate these directly to general practitioner (GP) consortia in late 2012 for 2013-14 on the basis of ensuring all areas secure equal access to NHS services relative to the burden of disease and disability. GP consortia will be responsible for managing the combined commissioning budgets of their member GP practices, and using these resources to improve healthcare and health outcomes.

Dementia: Hertfordshire

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to take steps to assist dementia patients in East and North Hertfordshire Primary Care Trust.

Paul Burstow: This is an issue for Hertfordshire primary care trust (PCT), which is best placed to understand the needs and pressures specific to the local area. However, £150 million has been made available to PCTs- £60 million in 2009-10 and £90 million in 2010-11-to implement the National Dementia Strategy.
	This investment has been made alongside the publication by the Department of a new National Dementia Strategy Implementation plan to support the work of PCTs and local authorities in implementing the strategy. Information will also be available in November from a national audit of dementia services. This will allow people to assess how their local services compare with other areas, and the extent to which the strategy is being implemented in their locality.
	The Revision to the Operating Framework for the National Health Service in England 2010-11 set out that NHS organisations should be working with partners on implementing the National Dementia Strategy and should publish their implementation plans in order to increase local accountability for prioritisation.

Diabetes: Health Services

John Glen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) men and  (b) women in each age group with each type of diabetes were admitted to hospital as an emergency for treatment for (i) diabetic ketoacidosis and (ii) hypoglycaemic emergency in the last five years.

Paul Burstow: The tables with the information have been placed in the Library.
	The tables show emergency hospital admissions with a primary diagnosis of diabetic ketoacidosis or hypoglycaemic coma between 2004-05 and 200-09, the latest year for which data are available, broken down by 20 year age, gender and type of diabetes.

Diabetes: Health Services

John Glen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average cost of a hospital admission for hypoglycaemic emergency for a patient with type 1 diabetes was in the latest period for which figures are available.

Paul Burstow: The Department does not hold information on the average cost of a hospital admission for hypoglycaemic emergency for a patient with type 1 diabetes as reference costs do not distinguish between the two types. However, the average unit cost of diabetes (including both type 1 and type 2) with hypoglycaemic disorders in England in 2008-09 was £1,060.

Diabetes: Health Services

John Glen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the annual average cost to the public purse is of treatment of a patient with type 1 diabetes with  (a) multiple daily injections and  (b) insulin pump therapy.

Paul Burstow: The Department does not hold information on the average cost of treatment of a patient with type 1 diabetes for multiple daily injections or insulin pump therapy. Guidance is available from National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence in Technology Appraisal TA151, which includes a costing template for use in local implementation.

Disability

Aidan Burley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to respond to the report by Professor Jim Mansell on "Raising our sights: services for adults with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities".

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  when he plans to respond to Professor Jim Mansell's report on "Raising our sights: services for adults with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities";
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the recommendations made in Professor Jim Mansell's report on "Raising our sights: services for adults with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities";
	(3)  when he plans to respond to the recommendations of the report "Raising our sights: services for adults with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities".

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to respond to the report commissioned by his Department on "Raising our sights: services for adults with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities".

Paul Burstow: We expect to give a formal departmental response by the end of the year.
	Departmental officials are currently examining the detailed recommendations set out in the report and how these support our objectives to improve outcomes for people with learning disabilities who have complex needs and their families. The elements of good service and good practice examples included in this report sit very clearly within the programme of work which Government are leading to support independent living for people with learning disabilities and to support local service planning and commissioning to meet identified needs in their locality.

Epilepsy: Health Services

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for the delivery of epilepsy services following the planned ending of primary care trusts in 2013.

Paul Burstow: The White Paper will devolve power and responsibility for commissioning services for epilepsy to general practitioners (GPs). The establishment of an independent and accountable NHS Commissioning Board will allocate and account for national health service resources, leading on quality improvement and promoting patient involvement and choice.
	The board will also set commissioning guidelines and approaches that promote joint working between health and social care. The National Service Framework for Long-term neurological Services itself, and the outcomes statements, provides a framework for NHS commissioners to commission and develop services for people with neurological conditions.
	Commissioning by GP consortia will enable the redesign of care pathways to reflect the needs of their patients, which ultimately will lead to the more effective management of long-term conditions such as epilepsy.
	Additionally, Quality Standards will be based on relevant National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines, and address the often-voiced concern of patient groups that commissioners do not commission in line with NICE clinical guidelines.

Health Services: Cooperatives

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will make it his policy to support local authorities in developing mutual organisations for social care direct payments;
	(2)  if he will bring forward proposals to ensure that all service users and carers have access to a local direct payments mutual organisations.

Paul Burstow: The Government's vision for adult social care, to be published in November 2010, will set out an enhanced role for the voluntary and community sector in providing services.
	The Government recognise that in order for a person to live a fulfilling and independent life, they must be able to control the care and support they need.
	Personalisation is key to achieving this, and we want to see an increase in the number of people in receipt of personal budgets.
	Mutual organisations have a vital role to play in supporting people to make use of personal budgets.

Health Services: Disadvantaged

Steven Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will put in place mechanisms to ensure the NHS better meets the needs of the most disadvantaged people; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: The Government have made it clear that tackling health inequalities is a priority. Everyone should have the same opportunities to lead a healthy life, no matter where they live, or who they are. The national health service has a critical role to play in reducing the health inequalities that effect disadvantaged people, and the White Paper, "Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS", published on 12 July 2010, would create an explicit NHS duty on tackling inequalities in access to NHS healthcare and the outcomes for that care. Our aim is to create an NHS that is much more responsive to patients, putting them at the heart of everything it does, and that reduces inequalities in care.
	The White Paper also sets out plans for the new public health service that would have an important role in reducing these inequalities. The public health budget would be ring-fenced and allocated to reflect relative population health outcomes, with a new "health premium" to promote action to reduce health inequalities. We would therefore create a service that both recognises the impact of deprivation and rewards improvement, providing further incentives to reduce inequalities in health. We expect to publish a White Paper on public health later this year, outlining the Government's plans for establishing the new public health service, and also mapping a cross-Government strategy on public health.

Hospitals: Food

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of food supplied to hospitals under contracts negotiated by NHS Supply Chain was domestically produced in the latest period for which figures are available.

Simon Burns: The latest figure available is for 2008-09 and this shows that 64.5% of food supplied to hospitals under contracts negotiated by NHS Supply Chain was domestically produced.

Mentally Ill: Community Care

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what mechanisms are in place under the Mental Health Act 2007 to enable community mental health teams to offer early preventive treatment to individuals with mental disorders who may pose a danger to the safety of themselves or others.

Paul Burstow: The Mental Health Act 1983 (which was amended by the Mental Health Act 2007) is primarily concerned with the legal framework for the compulsory care and treatment of people with mental disorders, rather than with the provision of services. There is nothing in the Act specifically to enable mental health services to provide early preventive treatment to individuals. Such services are, however, widely provided by the national health service, not least through dedicated early intervention teams for younger people experiencing a first episode of psychosis. Prevention is one of a number of key themes we are addressing in the preparation of the Government's new mental health strategy.

NHS: Manpower

Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) nurses,  (b) clinical staff,  (c) non-clinical staff and  (d) managerial posts remain unfilled as a result of the NHS recruitment freeze.

Simon Burns: There is no current freeze on national health service recruitment. It is for each NHS organisation to take its own decisions about recruitment policies.

NHS: Public Participation

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to ensure that the work of LINk groups continues after March 2011.

Simon Burns: The Department's consultation papers on the future of the national health service, including 'Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS', 'Liberating the NHS: Commissioning for Patients' and 'Liberating the NHS: Local Democratic Legitimacy in Health' set out proposals to establish HealthWatch, at both a national and local level, in England from April 2012. In those documents it was made clear that the proposals envisaged that local HealthWatch organisations would evolve from the current system of local involvement networks (LINks). The consultation period for these documents has now closed and the Government are considering their response.
	The duty on local authorities to ensure LINk activities are carried on in their area, as set out in the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act, 2007 (Part 14), will remain in place until any legislation to establish HealthWatch, proposed in the consultation, is approved by Parliament.

Psychiatry: Regulation

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for the future regulation of psychotherapists.

Anne Milton: The Government are currently considering their overall strategy in relation to professional regulation, including the regulation of psychotherapists and counsellors. No final decisions have been made.

Psychiatry: Regulation

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations he has received on the regulation of counselling and psychotherapy in respect of a  (a) basic standard of training and  (b) compulsory code of conduct.

Anne Milton: Since May, the Department has received at least 216 pieces of correspondence regarding the regulation of psychotherapists and counsellors by the Health Professions Council. It is unclear how many of these pieces of correspondence may have been written about basic standards of training or compulsory code of conduct.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Animal Welfare

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many regulated procedures under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 were carried out in Wales in 2009;
	(2)  how many procedures carried out on animals in Wales under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 involved  (a) New World primates and  (b) Old World primates in 2009; and what the primary purpose of those procedures were;
	(3)  what the  (a) primary purpose and  (b) field of research was of each procedure carried out on animals in Wales under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 involving (i) fish, (ii) pigs and (iii) genetically modified animals in 2009; and for what reason there was an increase in the number of procedures carried out on (A) fish, (B) pigs and (C) genetically-modified animals in Wales in 2009 compared to the previous year;
	(4)  what proportion of procedures regulated under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 carried out in Wales were conducted without anaesthesia in 2009;
	(5)  how many  (a) mice,  (b) rats,  (c) guinea pigs,  (d) hamsters,  (e) rabbits,  (f) horses and other equids,  (g) sheep,  (h) pigs,  (i) birds,  (j) amphibians,  (k) reptiles,  ( l ) fish,  (m) cats,  (n) dogs,  (o) New World primates and  (p) Old World primates were used in procedures conducted in Wales and regulated under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 in 2009;
	(6)  how many individual animals were used in procedures regulated under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 in Wales in 2009;
	(7)  how many regulated procedures under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 conducted in Wales involved  (a) cats,  (b) dogs,  (c) rabbits,  (d) horses and other equids,  (e) New World primates and  (f) Old World primates which (i) were genetically modified and (ii) had a harmful genetic defect in 2009;
	(8)  what proportion of regulated procedures under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 conducted in Wales were carried out for  (a) fundamental and applied studies other than toxicology and  (b) toxicity tests or other safety and efficacy evaluation in 2009;
	(9)  what proportion of regulated procedures under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 conducted in Wales were performed in  (a) public health laboratories,  (b) universities and medical schools,  (c) NHS hospitals,  (d) Government departments,  (e) other public bodies,  (f) non-profit making organisations and  (g) commercial organisations in 2009;
	(10)  how many  (a) genetically modified animals and  (b) animals with a harmful genetic defect were used in regulated procedures under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 conducted in Wales in 2009.

Lynne Featherstone: My hon. Friend tabled 10 questions regarding the Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals for Wales in 2009. While figures for Great Britain are published annually, the latest being on 27 July 2010, it would take significant work to run the systems specifically to obtain data for Wales and then to check that none of the data was disclosive or breached any confidentiality guarantees given to respondents. For this reason, I will write to my hon. Friend separately when we have had sufficient time to compile and check the information you requested. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Animal Welfare

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many infringements of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 in Wales were recorded in 2009; and how many resulted in a prosecution.

Lynne Featherstone: There were no recorded infringements of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 at designated establishments in Wales during 2009.

Animal Welfare

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many sites in Wales were designated as a  (a) supplying,  (b) breeding and  (c) scientific procedure establishment under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 at the end of 2009.

Lynne Featherstone: As at 31 December 2009 in Wales there were one supplying, two breeding and eight user establishments designated under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. An establishment can be a user, breeder and supplier.

Animal Welfare: Licences

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many project licences for work in Wales were granted under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 in 2009; and how many such licences were in force at the end of 2009.

Lynne Featherstone: During 2009, 13 project licences were granted under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 in Wales. On 31 December 2009 there were 76 project licences in force in Wales.

Animal Welfare: Licences

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of the project licences granted under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 and in force in Wales at the end of 2009 were in the  (a) mild,  (b) moderate,  (c) substantial and  (d) unclassified severity banding.

Lynne Featherstone: During 2009, in Wales, 59% of the project licences granted under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 were in the mild severity banding, 41% in moderate, there were none in substantial or unclassified.

Immigration

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals who at the time of their application for indefinite leave to remain in the UK were resident in the Peterborough City Council area were granted such leave in the latest period for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: The UK Border Agency is unable to provide definitive data on the applicants address at the time of application. The information provided is therefore the applicants last known address.
	The following table lists applications made for indefinite leave from April 2009 to March 2010 for applicants living in the Peterborough city council area. It also shows the number of these applicants that were subsequently granted.
	
		
			  Number 
			   Applications made  Applications granted 
			  2009   
			 April 31 29 
			 May 35 30 
			 June 56 52 
			 July 60 52 
			 August 49 44 
			 September 55 48 
			 October 23 18 
			 November 28 27 
			 December 45 42 
			
			  2010   
			 January 66 57 
			 February 42 34 
			 March 65 56 
			 Total 555 489 
			  Note: This is internal management information and is subject to change. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols.

Immigration: Appeals

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions the UK Border Agency has made a request to the Tribunals Service to re-send appeal determination notifications from the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) and its predecessors in the last 12 months.

Damian Green: The UK Border Agency does not hold information on the number of occasions it has made a request to the Tribunals Service to re-send appeal determination notifications from the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) and its predecessors in the last 12 months.

Members: Correspondence

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Walsall North of 2 September to the Minister of State on a constituent, ref: K2160664 and CTS M12547/10.

Damian Green: A reply was sent to the hon. Member on 12 October 2010.

Migration Impact Fund

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her policy is on the provision of further funding to the Migration Impact Fund.

Damian Green: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government announced on 22 June that the Migration Impacts Fund would be coming to an end on 1 October 2010.

Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006: Convictions

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been  (a) charged and  (b) convicted under the provisions of the Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006.

Edward Garnier: I have been asked to reply.
	The Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006, which came into force on 1 October 2007, inserted into Part III of the Public Order Act 1986 offences relating to stirring up hatred against persons on religious grounds. Prosecutions for this offence require the consent of the Attorney-General.
	Since 1 October 2007 only one person has been charged with any offence of stirring up religious hatred, and that person (Anthony Bamber) was acquitted on 21 June 2010.

Rape: Finance

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding her Department provided to sexual abuse and rape counselling services in  (a) England and  (b) Wales in the latest period for which figures are available; and on what date each such payment was made.

Lynne Featherstone: The coalition has committed to giving rape crisis centres stable, long-term funding and to building new centres where they are needed.
	 Funding provided to sexual abuse and rape counselling services in England
	The Department of Health and the Home Office Ministers have agreed to provide £3.2 million to improve Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) service provision for victims of sexual assault for 2010-11. The first resource payments are being administered through the Department of Health and grant agreements for capital funding have been issued by the Home Office. First payments of capital funding will be made in October.
	43 independent sexual violence adviser (ISVA) posts have been part funded in England by the Home Office in 2010-11. A total of £860,000 was allocated for this purpose in July 2010.
	The Home office has also made £150,000 available to third sector organisations to support their work with the specialist sector. £75,000 was paid to Rape Crisis in September 2010 and a payment will shortly be made to the Survivors Trust.
	 Funding provided to sexual abuse and rape counselling services in Wales
	he Home Office has allocated £55,293 in total for Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs) in Wales in the financial year 2010-1. This consists of £25,520 resource and £29,773 capital for SARC funding. The Home Office is due to make this payment later in October.

Terrorism: Deportation

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons convicted of terrorist offences were awaiting deportation on the latest date for which figures are available; to which countries; and for how long following the date of conviction each has been awaiting deportation.

Damian Green: The UK Border Agency seeks to deport foreign national offenders who meet the following criteria for deportation:
	A court recommendation.
	For non-EEA nationals-a custodial sentence of 12 months or more either in one sentence, or as an aggregate of two or three sentences over a period of five years or a custodial sentence of any length for a drug offence (an offence other than possession only).
	For EEA nationals-a custodial sentence of 12 months or more for an offence involving drugs, violent or sexual crimes or a custodial sentence of 24 months or more for other offences.
	Deportation action may also be taken even where these criteria are not met if this is deemed to be conducive to the public good for other reasons.
	At the point where no barriers to removal exist-including where any custodial sentence has been served and where there is no outstanding appeal-the UK Border Agency will set a direction to remove. According to provisional management information on 10 September 2010 approximately 150 foreign national prisoners who meet the relevant deportation criteria had removal directions set against them. Of these none had a primary criminal offence recorded as being terrorist-related.
	As there were no terrorist related offences we are unable to provide information as to which country the individual was from or how long following the date of conviction each has been awaiting deportation.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Food: Prices

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on the effects on developing countries of food speculation.

Stephen O'Brien: We have not had any formal discussions with our EU counterparts on the effects of food speculation on developing countries. But our view is that speculation is unlikely to have played a significant and damaging role in recent food price volatility.
	Our view is supported by the European Commission who have also concluded that:
	"the balance of available evidence does not support the speculative bubble theory"
	in the 2007-08 food price spike. Similarly, a recent OECD report finds that:
	"index funds did not cause a bubble in commodity futures prices".

Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions he has had with the head of the Global Fund for AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria on the donor replenishment meeting.

Andrew Mitchell: I met Michel Kazatchkine, Executive Director of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, on 17 August and again in the margins of the MDG Summit in New York. We discussed the Multilateral Aid Review, which will look at core funding provided by the Department for International Development (DFID) to multilateral agencies. The review will include an assessment of the relevance of the Global Fund to the UK's objectives on poverty reduction and its ability to deliver results on the ground. The results of the Multilateral Aid Review will be an important element in any future funding decisions in respect of the fund. I also spoke with Michel Kazatchkine in London on 27 September at the viewing of the UN Foundation's documentary 'A New Picture of Health'.
	At the recent Global Fund replenishment conference DFID reaffirmed our £1 billion pledge from 2008 to 2015, subject to the results of the Multilateral Aid Review.

Overseas Aid

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what mechanisms he has put in place to provide for contributions to be made to international agencies by his Department whilst its Multilateral Aid Review is ongoing.

Andrew Mitchell: The outcome of the Multilateral Aid Review will be published early next year. Interim decisions on funding for multilateral partners need to balance the requirements to minimise disruption to the work of our partners and ensure consistency with the results of the review. My Department is in contact with our partner institutions to discuss whether financing decisions can be delayed for a short period without adversely affecting their work on the ground. Where this is not possible, or where a delay in an announcement of UK funding may delay negotiations with other donors, I will make an earlier decision, informed by the evidence and analysis already gathered during the review.

Overseas Aid

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether he plans to retain the target of spending 0.7% of gross national income on official development assistance from the year 2013; and whether he plans to bring forward legislation to provide for such targets.

Andrew Mitchell: Yes.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Departmental Manpower

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many officials his Department has appointed on fixed-term contracts since 7 May 2010.

Owen Paterson: Since 7 May 2010 there have not been any appointments on fixed-term contracts.

Departmental Work Experience

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many interns his Department has engaged in the last 12 months; and how many were  (a) unpaid,  (b) remunerated with expenses only and  (c) paid a salary.

Owen Paterson: The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) has not engaged any interns in the last 12 months.

SCOTLAND

Departmental Carbon Emissions

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he has made an estimate of the change in the level of carbon dioxide emissions from his Department since May 2010; and what steps he plans to take to meet his Department's target of reducing such emissions by 10 per cent. by May 2011.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office has estimated the change in the level of carbon dioxide emissions from its estate for the period between May and July 2010 in accordance with the 10% reduction campaign criteria announced by the Prime Minister on 14 May 2010. Compared with the same period last year, a reduction of in excess of 10% has been achieved by introducing a wide range of energy saving initiatives.

Departmental Drinking Water

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department has spent on bottled water in each year since 2008.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office spend on bottled water is as follows:
	
		
			   Cost (£) 
			 2007-08 2,880 
			 2008-09 2,607 
			 2009-10 1,302 
		
	
	These figures do not include any bottled water obtained for ministerial hospitality events, as this is subsumed within the supplier's invoice and not recorded separately.

Departmental Freedom of Information

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps his Department is taking to improve its level of compliance with the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office endeavours to handle all FOI requests in accordance with statutory requirements and good practice. Internal procedures have been reviewed to ensure that all requests are answered as quickly as possible; all relevant staff have been briefed on the Information Commissioner's recent report; and the Scotland Office senior management team monitors performance on a monthly basis. For the most recent quarter, the Scotland Office exceeded 86% within 20 working days, which is above the Information Commissioner's acceptable level of performance.

Devolution: Scotland

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with CBI  (a) Scotland and  (b) UK on the effects on PAYE schemes administered from England and Wales of the implementation of the recommendations of the Calman Commission.

Michael Moore: I have frequent discussions with representatives from CBI Scotland on a range of issues. The Director of CBI Scotland was one of the Calman Commissioners and CBI Scotland are now represented on the Implementation Group referred to in the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury's answer to written question 16400 on 11 October 2010,  Official Report, column 235. When this group first met, both the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury and I invited all participants to liaise closely with the Government as the work to implement the recommendations of the Calman Commission progresses.

Future Jobs Fund: Scotland

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the evidential basis for the value for money of the Future Jobs Fund in Scotland.

Michael Moore: I have had a number of discussions with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and will continue to engage with him going forward.

TRANSPORT

Bicycles

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has made a recent assessment of the number of bicycles which may be carried on trains operated by each train operator; and whether he plans to take steps to increase that number.

Theresa Villiers: It is a commercial consideration for the individual train operating companies to provide storage space for cycles on their trains. It is not for the Department for Transport to dictate how many cycle spaces an operator should provide, but we do encourage train operators to accommodate folding bicycles at all times.
	We are also noting the progress of the Station Travel Plan pilot project being run by the rail industry to encourage rail passengers to use more sustainable forms of transport, including cycling, to travel to and from stations.

Bus Services: Rural Areas

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his policy is on ensuring continued access to bus services for rural communities.

Norman Baker: It is local authorities that are best placed to ensure that rural communities are able to access jobs and essential services-by bus, by flexible services such as dial-a-ride, or by bringing services directly to the door. They have a statutory duty to produce local transport plans, which we believe remain the best way for authorities to plan transport strategy and delivery.
	In areas where frequent public transport services are not commercially viable, the voluntary and community sector have a large role to play in delivering long-term sustainable alternatives. The Government are committed to supporting partnership working between local authorities, commercial providers and the voluntary sector that delivers tailor-made local services.
	Rather than prescribing one method from Whitehall, we will therefore provide greater funding freedoms and flexibilities at a local level. As part of this approach, the Government recently announced a Local Sustainable Transport Fund which will support local transport and encourage more sustainable travel solutions based on local need.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much of his Department's expenditure supported the work of charities and voluntary organisations in the latest period for which figures are available  (a) directly and  (b) indirectly.

Norman Baker: I regret that the information requested cannot be provided except at disproportionate cost.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Complaints

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many complaints the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency has received from driving licence holders who claim to have had categories deleted from their driving licence on renewal or replacement in each year since 2007.

Michael Penning: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency only holds statistics on complaints received through its formal procedures since July 2007.
	The number of complaints received from drivers claiming that entitlement is missing from their driving licence in each year since then is:
	2007: 18
	2008: 109
	2009: 150
	2010: 33.
	When an individual makes multiple complaints about the same issue, each complaint is recorded separately. The figures represent the number of complaints received rather than the number of individuals making a complaint.

Highways Agency: Vehicles

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many traffic officer vehicles the Highways Agency leased in the latest period for which figures are available; and from which companies those vehicles were leased.

Michael Penning: The Highways Agency has leased 207 vehicles within the last 12 months. All vehicles are leased from Lex Autolease, Windsor House, Castlebrook Business Park, Hollins Brook Way, Bury, BL9 8RT.

Humber Bridge

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much interest has been charged on the original loan to build the Humber Bridge since it was taken out.

Norman Baker: The Humber Bridge Board has paid a net amount of £247 million in interest between 1981-82 and 2009-10. A total of £502 million has been paid in interest, less £255 million which was paid by Government in grants between 1991-92 and 1997-98, to enable the interest to be paid.

Motor Sports

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which Minister in his Department has policy responsibility for the provisions of the Road Traffic Act 1988 which are required to be suspended to enable rallying to take place on public roads; which division of his Department handles policy on this issue; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Penning: I am the Minister who has policy responsibility for these provisions of the Road Traffic Act 1988, sections 12, 13 and 13A. Under this Act, motor racing on the public highway is prohibited. However, competitions and trials (other than a race or trial of speed) may be held in accordance with the Motor Vehicles (Competition and Trials) Regulations 1969. A small number of on-road race events in Great Britain have over the years been authorised by individual private Acts of Parliament.
	The Department for Transport Road User Safety division handles policy on this issue.

Railway Stations: Birmingham

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects the Access for All scheme at Northfield station in Birmingham to be  (a) started and  (b) completed.

Theresa Villiers: Based on the most recent project data supplied by Network Rail, building work on the Access for All scheme at Northfield station is scheduled to start in August 2011 and finish by September 2012. The scheme is currently at design stage and the anticipated final cost of the project is circa £2,531,000.

Railways: Birmingham

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent estimate his Department has made of the public expenditure required for the development of the proposed London to Birmingham High Speed 2 rail line in each year from 2010 to 2015.

Philip Hammond: The Department for Transport has estimated that £21 million will be required in expenditure during the current financial year (2010-11) for the development of the high speed rail proposals. This expenditure relates largely to development of and public consultation on the proposed London to Birmingham line, but also includes work on options for an extended network serving Manchester and Leeds.
	In addition, the Department has estimated that £50 million will be required to fund the purchase of properties under the HS2 Exceptional Hardship Scheme over the period August 2010 to December 2011.
	Public expenditure in future years is subject to the outcome of the 2010 spending review.

Railways: Birmingham

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reasons his Department has not published an environmental impact assessment for the proposed London to Birmingham High Speed 2 route through the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty; and if he will make a statement.

Philip Hammond: Subject to the outcome of public consultation, the necessary powers to construct any new high speed rail line would be sought through a hybrid Bill. It would be as part of the hybrid Bill process that an environmental impact assessment would be produced to satisfy the requirements of the EU's Environmental Impact Assessment Directive.
	However, a full appraisal of sustainability will be published in order to inform public consultation prior to the forthcoming consultation on proposals for a high speed line between London and the West Midlands. This will set out the environmental and local impacts of that route, including those in the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Railways: Sanitation

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will discuss with train operating companies the effects on  (a) people with Crohn's disease,  (b) elderly people,  (c) parents with babies under the age of one year and  (d) children under five years of the operation of trains which run without toilet facilities on journeys of (i) one and (ii) one and a half hours.

Theresa Villiers: The rolling stock that is deployed on the rail network is a matter for the individual train operating companies. It is for them to decide what rolling stock is deployed on particular routes and services, and what facilities that rolling stock contains. As part of these considerations they will need to judge the impact of any changes to rolling stock on all their passengers.
	The Department for Transport is currently consulting on reforms to the franchising system. One of the proposals under consideration is whether to use passenger satisfaction measures as part of the means by which franchise performance is assessed. If a decision is made to go ahead with passenger satisfaction metrics as part of future franchise obligations, passenger perceptions and views about facilities such as stations and toilets may have an impact on the performance of train operators against these new measures.

Rapid Transit Systems: Bedfordshire

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether any private funding has been provided for the Luton Dunstable Guided Busway.

Norman Baker: Luton borough council has secured £3.4 million in private sector contributions towards the cost of the Luton Dunstable Guided Busway.

Roads Schemes

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether local authorities are entitled to reclaim from Government any money spent on the planning process for road schemes cancelled by his Department.

Norman Baker: The Secretary of State suspended the previous guidance on local authority major schemes on 10 June 2010. The written ministerial statement of 10 June 2010,  Official Report, column 35WS, that announced this made it clear that the Department for Transport does not accept any liability for development or preparatory costs incurred to date or which may be incurred going forward while funding remains uncertain.
	The Department will announce new arrangements for local authority major schemes as soon as possible following the conclusion of the spending review.

Roads: Telephones

Andrew Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made on the roll-out of emergency roadside telephones with a T-loop and text facilities for the deaf and hard of hearing.

Michael Penning: The roll-out of emergency roadside telephones with T-loop and text facilities is 80% complete. It is anticipated that the installation programme will be completed in June 2011. All new and old versions of the emergency roadside telephones have a T-loop facility.

Severn Bridges Tolls

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has made a recent assessment of the effects on the economy of Wales of the Severn Bridges tolls.

Michael Penning: There has been no recent assessment of the effects on the economy of Wales of the Severn Bridges tolls. However, both the Welsh Affairs Committee and the Welsh Assembly Government are undertaking separate reviews of the effects of the Severn Bridges tolls on the economy of Wales. Both are due to report back with their findings next year. I will consider the findings of these reports.

TREASURY

Credit: Interest Rates

Nicky Morgan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what recent discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues on the variation between the interest rates offered by loan and credit companies, with particular reference to those offered to applicants with poor credit histories;
	(2)  what recent representations he has received on the  (a) regulation of and  (b) variation in interest rates offered by loan and credit companies.

Edward Davey: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government are keen to encourage responsible lending and borrowing on fair terms. I have held discussions with ministerial colleagues and received informal representations from both lenders and consumer groups on a range of consumer credit issues, including the interest rates charged by lenders.
	In July I announced a joint BIS-HM Treasury review of consumer credit and personal insolvency. The Government believe that this is the right time for a properly targeted review of certain aspects of the credit and debt market, including high cost credit and the levels of interest rates charged for credit and store cards. BIS has just published a call for evidence that seeks to help us better to understand the key issues and ensure we are concentrating the review on the priorities for consumers and lenders.

Financial Services: EU Action

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what negotiating position his Department adopted in discussions on the EU framework for financial supervision agreed in the Council of Ministers; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: The new European framework has the potential to fundamentally improve the quality and consistency of supervision, ensure more effective rulemaking with the framework provided by directives and enforcement, and better identify risks in the financial system.
	The framework ensures that day-to-day supervision of financial institutions will remain at the national level and establishes that the new European Supervisory Authorities cannot take decisions that impinge on member states' fiscal responsibilities. It also ensures that the new authorities have requirements for high standards of governance, transparency and accountability.
	The Government support the new framework and welcome the decision to base the European banking authority in London, recognising the UK's importance as Europe's global financial centre.

Goldman Sachs: Fines

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will transfer into the first account of the Green Investment Bank the proceeds of the £20 million fine imposed in September 2010 on Goldman Sachs by the Financial Services Authority for failure to inform the financial regulator of details of an international staff transfer.

Mark Hoban: The matter concerned is the responsibility of the Financial Services Authority (FSA), whose day-to-day operations are independent from Government control and influence. However, I understand that any financial penalties that the FSA levies are not treated as a benefit to the FSA but are instead rebated to fee-payers in the subsequent financial year.
	The Government are considering a wide range of options for the scope and structure of the Green Investment Bank and will put forward detailed proposals following the spending review.

International Assistance

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to lay before Parliament his Department's next report on Government activity at the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

Mark Hoban: The Government are fully committed to transparency and accountability with regard to their activities at the international financial institutions. The Treasure is reviewing options for reporting on the UK's relationship with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and how best to engage Parliament in further debate on the UK's role within the IMF. The Secretary of State for Development is the UK's Governor to the World Bank and is therefore responsible for reporting on the UK's activities at the World Bank.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to reply to the letter of 31 August from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton on Mr B. James.

Mark Hoban: I have replied to the right hon. Member.

Northern Rock Foundation

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the policy of UK Financial Investments Ltd is on funding the Northern Rock Foundation after April 2011.

Mark Hoban: Northern Rock plc and Northern Rock (Asset Management) are managed at arm's length from Government, on commercial principles, by an experienced management team. The Government's shareholding in Northern Rock plc and Northern Rock (Asset Management) is then the responsibility of UK Financial Investments (UKFI), and a shareholder framework agreement has been published which sets out how UKFI operates its shareholder relationship with the company.
	As with other business decisions, any future relationship with the foundation is a matter for the separate boards of Northern Rock plc and Northern Rock (Asset Management).

WORK AND PENSIONS

Disability Living Allowance: Medical Examinations

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what organisations he will consult on the development of the new medical assessment for eligibility for the disability living allowance; what the dates will be of the consultation; and when decisions will be announced.

Maria Miller: We recognise the importance of involving disabled people and their representatives, as well as healthcare and other professionals with relevant expertise, in the design of the new assessment for disability living allowance. To ensure that all organisations and individuals with an interest in this area have the opportunity to contribute their views we will hold a public consultation on the new assessment in autumn this year.
	In addition to this broader consultation process, a disability living allowance assessment development group comprising disabled people and relevant health professionals and others with expertise in this area has been created to advise on the development of the new assessment.

Future Jobs Fund: Kilmarnock

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which organisations with registered business premises in Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency have been approved to provide employment under the Future Jobs Fund.

Chris Grayling: The Department does not hold records of all the organisations that are providing employment through the Future Jobs Fund. Details of lead accountable bodies who have been successful in receiving FJF awards are available here:
	http://campaigns.dwp.gov.uk/campaigns/futurejobsfund/index.asp

Future Jobs Fund: West Lothian

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many residents of the West Lothian council area aged  (a) 18 to 24 years and  (b) over 24 years who had been out of work and claiming jobseeker's allowance for more than six months have found employment through the Future Jobs Fund since the fund was established.

Chris Grayling: The Young Person's Guarantee statistics were published on 11 August 2010 and are available here:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?paqe=ypg
	Statistics are available on the Future Jobs Fund which cover the period from October 2009 to May 2010. They show that there were 4,460 recorded Future Jobs Fund starts in the Scotland region. The information requested for West Lothian is not available.

Pensioners: Kilmarnock

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has made a recent estimate of the number of pensioners in Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency who  (a) receive the basic state pension,  (b) receive pension credit and  (c) are eligible for pension credit but do not claim it.

Steve Webb: The document "Caseloads for selected benefits by 2010 Parliamentary Constituencies February 2010" is available in the Library and includes figures for pension credit and state pension.
	Estimates of eligibility and therefore those who are entitled to pension credit but have not claimed it are not available below the level of Great Britain.
	The latest estimates of the take-up rates and the number of those entitled to but not receiving pension credit are published in the report "Income Related Benefits Estimates of Take-Up in 2008-09" which can be accessed via the following link:
	http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=irb

Social Security Benefits

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has made a recent estimate of the number of households in each parliamentary constituency who receive more than £500 per week in state benefits.

Chris Grayling: The information requested is not available at a parliamentary constituency level.
	The information is available for Great Britain. Latest estimates show that in 2010-11 there are around 100,000 working age households in receipt of more than £500 a week in all benefits and tax credits, including disability living allowance. If disability living allowance is excluded then around 50,000 working age households are in receipt of more than £500 a week.
	The Chancellor's announcement of a benefit cap was informed by high-level consideration of the broad impacts. We are now working up the more detailed design of the caps as part of the spending review. When we introduce legislation for the implementation of the caps, we shall publish an impact assessment.
	 Note:
	All figures are rounded to the nearest 50,000.
	 Source:
	DWP Policy Simulation Model, based on the 2008-09 Family Resources Survey data

Social Security Benefits

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has made a recent estimate of the number of households in  (a) Scotland and  (b) the UK who receive more than £500 per week in state benefits.

Chris Grayling: The information requested for Scotland is not available as sample sizes are too small to yield reliable results.
	The information is available for Great Britain. Latest estimates show that in 2010-11 there are around 100,000 working age households in receipt of more than £500 a week in all benefits and tax credits, including disability living allowance. If disability living allowance is excluded then around 50,000 working age households are in receipt of more than £500 a week.
	The Chancellor's announcement of a benefit cap was informed by high-level consideration of the broad impacts. We are now working up the more detailed design of the caps as part of the spending review. When we introduce legislation for the implementation of the caps, we shall publish an impact assessment.
	 Note:
	All figures are rounded to the nearest 50,000.
	 Source:
	DWP Policy Simulation Model, based on the 2008/09 Family Resources Survey data

Winter Fuel Payments: Chester

Stephen Mosley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many residents of City of Chester constituency claim winter fuel allowance; and how many such residents are higher rate taxpayers.

Steve Webb: Most winter fuel payments are paid automatically without the need to claim them.
	The latest available information on the number of individuals receiving winter fuel payments in the City of Chester constituency is available in the document "Winter Fuel Payment recipients 2009-2010 by Parliamentary Constituencies and Gender (All)". This is available in the House of Commons Library and on the internet at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=wfp
	Information on whether the individuals are higher rate taxpayers is not available.

Winter Fuel Payments: Scotland

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his most recent estimate is of the number of people in each parliamentary constituency in Scotland who are entitled to the winter fuel allowance.

Steve Webb: The information is available in the document "Winter Fuel Payment recipients 2009-10 by Parliamentary Constituencies and Gender (All)". This is available in the House of Commons Library and on the internet at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?paqe=wfp